Hidden Pasts
by Vulcanlover12
Summary: (Sequel to Emotions) [Set between the two movies] After the Nero incident the Enterprise is being repaired and Sky is troubled by what she learned on the Narada. Being Spock's wife in an alternate reality isn't the best thing to help you sleep at night. But when a drastic change of events occurs and Sky is left in danger, how will her colleagues protect her - and to what extent?
1. Prologue

**-Hidden Pasts-**

**-Vulcanlover12-**

**A/N: ****Hey, guys! Sorry it took so long to post this; I just really needed a break. I won't be able to update this as quickly as Emotions because these are completely my ideas until the Nibiru incident. I plan on having this story around twenty to twenty-five chapters, so…yeah. This is set up in the year-and-a-half between the two movies (if it was not obvious before), starting a couple days after the last scene in the Epilogue of Emotions.**

**If you are new to this story, I urge you to go back and read the prequel to this by (obviously) the name Emotions. It's on my profile.**

**Please Review!**

**-Prologue-**

_Stardate: 2258.44_

The city of San Francisco in itself was a strange place. That fact was only because of the strange beings that dwelled there, including aliens from the other end of the galaxy. Most of said aliens, however, were involved in Starfleet one way or another; some would be Ambassadors, others would be cadets training in Starfleet Academy.

Sky Lorion was one of those graduates. Only a couple of days previous, she and the crew of the _U.S.S. Enterprise_ defeated the future Romulan by the name of Nero. She and her newly-acquired friends of the _Enterprise_'s Bridge Crew had risen in popularity in an unbelievably rapid rate. Their faces were posted all over every magazine on sale in every store across the planet (and quite possibly other planets as well).

Sky herself did not care for the popularity very much. In fact, she regretted it. Mainly because her grandparents had been frantic over the phone once she got back to Earth and to the dorm room she and Natasha had shared as cadets. And sadly, she did not have a place of her own as of yet, but she was working on getting her own.

Unfortunately, she could not avoid her family forever; otherwise they'd be knocking down the doors to Starfleet Headquarters and demanding to know where she was.

Sky had a wonderful family.

Sky paced her dorm room nervously as she stared down at the communicator in her hands. Natasha was working at a local clinic with Leonard McCoy, her CMO aboard the Enterprise and a fairly nice guy at heart once you got around his habit of voicing the first thought that pounced into his brain. Sky had the feeling that he and Natasha would become fast friends over time.

Finally Sky sighed and typed in the number sequence to her grandparent's house, knowing that she was probably going to get a good dressing down by her grandmother. The speaker hadn't even finished its first ring when someone picked up the phone.

"_Hello?_"

"Hey, Mamaw, it's m-"

"_It's about time that you called, missy! You know how long I've been waiting to hear your voice?_"

"Uh…"

"_Too damn long!_"

Sky flinched slightly. "Yeah, I know; I'm sorry, I was going to call yesterday but a friend of mine took me out to dinner and it slipped my mind."

"_A friend you say?_"

"Yeah."

"…_Does this 'friend' happen to be male?_"

"Mamaw!"

"_What? You know how long I've waited for you to get a guy; the good ones aren't easy to find, so you have to start filtering through the muddle as soon as possible._"

Sky's face went a bright cherry red with embarrassment. "Mamaw! I haven't even had the time to start 'filtering through the muddle'! I've been so caught up with Starfleet that I haven't even batted an eyelash!"

Grandma Ashley Logan was normally a calm, quiet lady. But when her granddaughter was called into space to aid a planet several light-years away that was eventually destroyed, as well as the rest of the fleet, by some psychopathic future Romulan, who in turn was swallowed by a black hole, she could turn into a very ferocious woman.

However, if she hears the words 'dinner' and 'friend', she immediately drops the subject at hand and becomes a brash, young, flirtatious woman again.

"_Yes, yes, I figured that,_" she replied, seemingly waving her off. After a moment of silence, however, she spoke up again. "_But seriously, was it a guy?_"

Sky groaned inwardly. She was mentally slapping herself for mentioning the previous night at all. "Yes, Mamaw, 'it' was a guy. And 'it' wasn't just one; my whole Bridge Command Crew. Six to be exact."

If she were a younger woman, Ashley would have squealed. "_Were they good looking? I've heard you mention one before, but not six. Good gosh, Sky; you're going to be such a man-magnet-_"

"I'm gonna stop you right there," Sky told her, holding up a finger (even if her grandmother couldn't see it). "I'm not interested in any of them. I hardly even _know _half of them. That's pretty much the biggest reason I agreed to let Natasha and April drag me to the restaurant."

Ashley chuckled but dropped it anyway. "_Alright, alright. I was just teasing._"

Sky sighed. "I know, but it does get a little annoying sometimes." '_And embarrassing_.'

Looking out the window, Sky stared at the dimming light in the sky. It was only 7:32 but the atmosphere was already starting to be painted with bright peach, scarlet, and gold streaks, with the surrounding clouds turning into a fluffy lavender.

"_You know, I worry about you._"

_'__Wow. That was random.' _"Whaddaya mean?"

"_Well,_" began Ashley, "_I guess it's just…_" She trailed off and sighed.

Sky's brows furrowed slightly at that. "What's wrong, Mamaw?"

Ashley paused and took a deep breath before continuing in a quiet voice, "_I'm just…worried. About you, being in Starfleet and all…_"

"Mamaw, you know that I'm okay, right? I only have a few bruises, and they're nearly completely gone. You don't have to worry about me-"

"_It's not you that I'm worried about!_"

Sky was slightly taken back by her exclamation. Ashley sighed again and sniffed discretely sniffed. "_I don't know whether or not going to come back home…just like your parents. Being in Starfleet is dangerous business, Sky. I nearly lost your grandfather because of it._"

Taken aback, Sky sat down on her bed in contemplation. "I…I didn't know that," she murmured quietly. "How did…"

"_His ship was attacked by Romulans; the treaty was still being discussed and the Romulan War was going on,_" Ashley informed her with another sniff. "_I was pregnant with your father at the time, and as soon as he got back to Earth he quit Starfleet. Your father never knew._"

The door to her and Natasha's dorm opened and none other than Natasha peeked inside the room. Sky glanced at her but held a finger up to stop her from speaking. Understanding, Natasha quietly shut the door behind her and sat on her own bed across the room, watching her roommate curiously.

"That's…a lot to take in. But I'm fine, and that's what matters, right?"

Ashley sniffed again but seemed to smile. "_Alright. Call me again?_"

Sky smiled as well. "Yeah. Next week?"

"_Okay. Love you._"

"Love you too. Bye."

"_Bye._"

Sky closed her communicator and let out a heavy, emotionally-laden sigh. Natasha looked at her curiously but did not question her. "I was going to invite you to eat dinner at a little place downtown, but you look busy," she said.

"No, I'm fine," Sky replied with a shake of her head. "Just let me grab my purse; you go call a cab."

Natasha did as ordered and exited the room again, leaving Sky alone. Sky slapped on some light makeup and grabbed her leather purse before heading out the door.

* * *

Exiting the five-story building, Sky was greeted with the sight of bright orange light casting shadows over the tall building surrounding her. Natasha was leaning against the cab, arms crossed and a slightly impatient look on her face.

"Took you long enough," she commented, opening the door and pitching herself inside.

Sky sat down in the cab and slammed the door shut, shrugging her shoulders. "It was only a minute, Nat. Plus, I don't think you want me looking like I've been in bed all day."

Natasha snorted and was about to reply when her communicator dinged softly. She fished it out of her back pocket and looked at the screen before scowling.

"What's wrong?" Sky inquired curiously, trying to look over her friend's shoulder.

"It's Leonard," she replied grouchily. She shoved her communicator back into her pocket and grimaced. "He wants me to work at a clinic with him."

Sky smirked slightly and raised an eyebrow, giving Natasha the 'look'. Natasha caught sight of this and scowled deeper. "No, Sky. Just no."

"Come on," Sky said with a crooked grin, elbowing Natasha in the arm playfully. "Out of all the nurses in Sickbay, you're the one he chooses? I think that's a bit more than a coincidence."

Natasha snorted again and folded her arms over her chest. "I don't know why he'd want me as an assistant; he hates me."

Sky gave her the 'look' again and Natasha sighed. "Okay, maybe he doesn't _hate_ me- but he sure doesn't _like_ me."

Sky smiled victoriously as the cab pulled to a halt, hover-engines dying down slightly so the passengers could exit without difficulty. She paid the driver, who winked in return with his glinting green eyes. She thought she recognized them, but Natasha had dragged her into the restaurant before she could process the thought.

The restaurant itself was small, since it was mostly a take-out place anyway. Natasha ordered Chow Mein ("Chow Mein, _not_ lo Mein! I don't care what you say, they're not the same," Natasha told the waiter firmly) while Sky requested the fried rice and sweet-and-sour chicken. When they received their bag, Natasha got another cab and they went to Golden Gate Park for supper.

As Natasha led Sky along the cemented path leading to a small lake, Sky's thoughts were pulled back to a few days past. Back to the Hangar Deck, back to the older Spock.

_"'__I do…did know you. And I hope that my counterpart will know you as well.'"_

Sky had come to a conclusion, given the information she'd been fed throughout the mission previous. Nero had called her 'Ambassador Spock's wife', with that Romulan Lieutenant saying he'd met her children, and plus Spock Prime (in which she'd dutifully titled him) had said himself he knew her. If that wasn't proof enough that she'd been married to Spock in the other universe, she didn't what was. But with the fact that Spock and Uhura were together now…

"Hello…? Are you in there?" Natasha was waving a hand in front of Sky's face and said Lieutenant blinked back into reality.

"Oh, uh, sorry. I was just…thinkin'." Sky didn't meet Natasha's gaze and looked out over the blue surface of the lake: the sun was barely in the sky now, and was casting strong orange rays onto the water, making it sparkle in a million different ways, plus the city lights were starting to come on now, too.

"About what?" Natasha inquired, sitting down on a bench on top of the decline that led to the bank of the lake. She set the plastic bag beside her and pulled out the to-go boxes and passed Sky her order after she sat as well.

Sky lifted the lid and ripped off the thin wrap of the set of plastic, black silverware before shoving a forkful of rice into her mouth. Natasha stared at her, still expecting an answer and Sky swallowed the now-chewed food down her throat. She sighed and met Natasha's dark brown eyes with her icy-silver ones.

"I heard things on the _Narada_, that didn't really make sense. Well, they didn't make sense until I met…" she trailed off, uncertain of whether she should give Natasha this information.

The aforementioned nurse raised a slender eyebrow at her to continue. Sky sighed again and stared at her fork.

"Troubled?" asked Natasha with a small, uncertain grin.

"You know how Spock was talking about how the future's changed because of the _Narada_ coming back in time?"

"I wasn't there, but Leonard explained it to me. I never really got that space-time travel mumbo-jumbo, anyway."

Sky nodded agreeably. "Well, Nero wasn't the only one who came back."

Natasha's eyebrows rose in a surprised fashion. "What? Who else came back?"

"The ship that Spock used to destroy the drill and the _Narada_ wasn't from this century. It was commissioned by the Vulcan Science Academy, yes, but from the year 2387. I remember the computer affirming our 'faces and voice patterns', saying we were 'Ambassador Spock' and 'Admiral Lorion'. Plus, it wasn't like any other starship I'd seen, anyway, so that proves my point."

Natasha nodded at the new information but tilted her head slightly. "That still doesn't tell me who else is from the future," she told her, almost impatiently.

Sky sighed once again and picked at her chicken. "Spock – an older Spock from the other reality – came back in time after Nero was pulled through the black hole. I still don't know why Nero was so hell-bent on destroying Vulcan, though." Sky flinched at the mention of the destroyed planet. Yes, Spock had convinced her that her guilt wasn't logical, but she still felt it nonetheless. Secretly, it was eating at her from the inside.

They sat in silence for only moments, but it felt like an eternity. Natasha finally furrowed her brows and said quietly, "I know it's bothering you. Spock's mother's death, I mean. Amanda? Yeah."

Sky had lost her appetite, so she closed the box again and set it in between the two of them, folding her hands in her lap and drilling holes into the ground in front of her.

Natasha sighed and looked up at Sky, a sympathetic and somewhat sad look on her face. "When I heard you'd beamed down to Vulcan with Spock, my first reaction was to yell at you once you got back and never let you leave the ship again." She chuckled humorlessly, "You know I'm super protective of you."

After another moment's pause, she continued. "But then you came into Sickbay, and I saw your face: dirty, tear-stained, and deathly pale beneath the grit and smoke. I hadn't seen you like that since…never. I immediately knew something was wrong. I was scared, Sky."

Sky lifted her head but didn't quite meet her friend's stare. Natasha closed her take-out box and set it on top of Sky's before reaching over and giving her friend a side-hug. Sky leaned into her touch.

"Nat, it still haunts me."

Natasha knew what she was talking about; obviously what she's said to April and her back in Med Bay.

"I know. Something like that doesn't go easily- I would know especially." Natasha looked at her again and Sky lifted her eyes to meet the nurse's. "But I learned that you just seek forgiveness and move on."

Sky swallowed shallowly and nodded. "I talked to Spock a couple nights ago, and I think he forgave me. I can't really be sure. Damn Vulcans," she mumbled.

Natasha laughed and Sky's lips turned upward slightly.


	2. Wha- Promotion?

**A/N: ****Alright, thank you ThrashLikeAMechanic and T'Liana for reviewing (I feel so loved :D). Here's Chapter 1, which starts off the main story line. I received an inquiry on who the taxi driver was, but telling would spoil future events. *teehee*.**

**Please Review!**

**Translation(s):**

**-Und der Führer führt, mit seiner Untertanen hinter ihm ganz – And the leader leads, with his subjects behind it all.**

**-Parlo anche italiano – I also know Italian.**

**-И я знаю немного русских, тоже – And I know a bit of Russian, too.**

**-Chapter 1-**

_"__BZZZZZZZZT."_

'_Whazzat?_' Sky groaned and rolled over, yanking the sheets over her shoulders. '_Dunno, don' care._'

_"__BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT."_

"Sky," Natasha groaned from the other side of the room. "Answer yer damn commmun'cat'r."

Sky grunted and felt around her nightstand, almost knocking the communicator off it in the process. She flicked it open and growled out a statement. "Whozis?"

"_Sky? God, you sound like you've been in a damn hurricane._"

Sky grunted and rubbed her eyes with her free hand. "Yeah, April. Whaddaya want?"

"_Are you kidding me? Admiral Pike's starting to message _me_now because you're not responding._"

Sky's brows furrowed and she was suddenly alert. "Pike? What does he want?"

"_I don't know; he's just been messaging me, saying you won't pick up._"

Sky was silent for a moment and April sighed. "_You haven't checked your inbox since we got back to Earth, have you?_"

"Uh, no…?"

April sighed again. "_Just answer him so I don't have to put up with him anymore. I need sleep._"

"Then why did you call me?" Sky snapped before hanging up grouchily. It was an unspoken rule that you did not disturb Sky Lorion until seven A.M., and right then it was six-o-clock.

She sat up and rubbed the remaining sleep from her eyes before shuffling over to the computer on the desk beside Natasha's bed. She plopped herself down in the rolling-chair and logged into her account, waiting for it to load. She yawned and the message box popped up onto the screen.

_'__Fifteen unread messages.'_

_'__Damn,'_ Sky thought, opening the first one. _'__Why didn't Pike just call me?'_

The message read:

_'__Lieutenant Lorion,_

_I've talked with the Council and they all agree with me; you're going to be promoted to Lieutenant Commander. Come down to my office this Thursday at eight- thirty and we'll set up the papers._

_-Admiral Pike '_

Sky's eyes widened slightly and she leaped from her chair and sprinted into the shower, taking about five minutes (record time) to clean herself up before hurriedly looking for her Starfleet uniform, which was somewhere in their closet.

Natasha was sitting up in her bed now, wiping the sleep from her eyes and yawning. "What're you doing?" she inquired sleepily. "I heard something about 'Pike' and 'messages'."

"Seven minutes too late," Sky commented to her, hopping into her gray pencil skirt and buttoning it. "I've got a meeting with Pike in fifteen minutes about a promotion."

Natasha smiled. "Congrats. You should be proud."

Sky snorted and shrugged her shirt on, zipping it up to her neck. "Yeah, sure. Not like I did anything useful, anyway."

Natasha's brows furrowed. "Are you kidding me? First you beamed down to Vulcan, and then you beamed aboard the _Narada_, and in doing so, saving Pike's life. I think that's worthy of a promotion, don't you?"

Sky shrugged and pulled her hair into a ponytail before affixing her hat atop her head. "Okay: I agree." She grabbed her purse, swung it over her shoulder, and tossed a wave over her shoulder while exiting the room. But before she closed the door, she poked her head back in. "Oh, don't forget you're working with Bones at the clinic today."

Sky smirked as she walked down the hall, hearing Natasha's loud groan of displeasure.

* * *

Starfleet Headquarters wasn't exactly set apart from the Academy; it was more a matter of intermingling accessibility between officer-student confidentiality. For Sky, it was just inconvenient. Most of the time when she was still in the Academy, she wound up getting lost even with just trying to find the bathroom. But on this one occasion, she knew exactly where to go.

Strutting down the hall and occasionally passing a couple of cadets, Sky had a gentle grin gracing her thin pink lips. Coming around the corner and towards an elevator, she heard none-other-than Jim Kirk call her name behind her.

"Hey, Sky!" He called, coming up and walking alongside her. "How's it going?" he greeted her warmly.

"Hello, Captain Kirk. I'm fine," Sky replied. He'd tried flirting with her once before, and it didn't work out well. What was amusing about it was that it was in Pike's Combat Strategy class. He hadn't exactly lit up at the sight of Jim leaning over two other cadets' shoulders to whisper suggestive things to her.

"Psh, forget the pomp and circumstance," he commanded her playfully. "Call me Jim."

Sky raised an eyebrow at him slightly but nodded nonetheless. "Alright. So, what are you doing here, anyway,_Jim_?"

He shrugged as the elevator doors opened for the both of them, allowing them to step inside. "I got a call from Pike. Said he wanted to talk to me about something," he explained.

Sky raised her eyebrow again after she punched in the correct floor. "He called me about a promotion."

Jim smiled down at her widely. "Really? What to?"

"Lieutenant Commander."

"That's good; congratulations."

"Thanks."

They stayed silent for a long, awkward moment before the elevator paused, allowing another person to board. The doors whished open and Spock stood in the doorway. His eyebrow twitched upward slightly when he saw the both of them in the elevator already.

"Pike?" the two humans inquired simultaneously.

"Affirmative," Spock acknowledged, stepping between Sky and Jim, although his eyebrow did rise fully at their shared statement.

The doors whisked shut again and the elevator went on its way. Said elevator was now becoming quite cramped with the two men towering over Sky (Spock more so than Jim, since he was slightly taller and closer to her).

"Und der Führer führt, mit seiner Untertanen hinter ihm ganz," Sky muttered. They both looked at her with surprised looks (although Spock's was much fainter).

"You speak German?" Jim asked.

"Parlo anche italiano," she continued. "И я знаю немного русских, тоже."

Spock raised an eyebrow again in response, and Sky then realized how much of his facial expressions bordered around that one eyebrow. _'__Wow,'_ she thought bemusedly. _'__That's almost ninety-nine percent of his facial responses, now that I think about it.'_

The elevator doors finally opened and the two men waited for Sky to exit, but she stood firm and gave them a pointed look. Getting the message, they exited and Sky followed behind them. They walked down the hall and came up to the Admiral's office door.

Jim opened the door and they entered one-by-one. Sky closed the door behind her and turned to see Pike looking at them over the edge of the PADD in his hand. "About time," he commented, laying down the PADD on his desk and folding his hands. "I assume you have some idea of why you're here," he continued.

"Yes, sir," Sky affirmed. "My promotion, isn't it?"

Spock looked at her almost surprised. "Promotion?" he echoed. "I have not heard of this." His brows were furrowed slightly and his eyes betrayed what little emotion he allowed himself to convey.

Sky shrugged. "That's what he told me," she supplied, gesturing towards Pike. "Left almost twenty messages on my system."

"Fifteen," Pike corrected. He looked back to the other two Starfleet Officers. "I need you here to confirm her transition. Also, Spock confronted me about a position he has - I think - yet to offer you, Lieutenant," he finished, looking back at Sky.

"Really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and looking at the half-Vulcan beside her. "You were right about the 'yet'."

Spock shifted his weight slightly - enough for Sky to notice - and looked down at her. "While that is a grammatical error, I shall not bother to correct you. I have considered giving you the position Chief Assistant Science Officer under me aboard the _Enterprise _when the repairs are completed and the next mission is elected."

Sky blinked in surprise. "Me? Why?"

"That is another grammatical error. You have proved yourself to be highly acceptable in the fields you chose in the Academy, and passed without flaw. You continued to do so when the 'fleet was called to Vulcan and when you aided in stopping Nero. I have observed your works and have come to the conclusion that you are more than worthy for the position."

Sky was at a loss for words. "Wow…thank you, sir. I…I didn't realize…"

Spock's lips twitched upward a centimeter. "Thanks are illogical: I only did what I thought was necessary."

Sky nodded and smiled, but their tender moment was interrupted by Jim clearing his throat. "Okay, what papers do we need to sign?" he asked Pike, strolling over to his desk.

Pike turned the PADD he'd been holding their way and held out a stylus towards him. "The Captain, First Officer, and promoter all have to sign," he informed them.

Jim whipped his signature off and stepped aside; Spock followed suit, albeit slower. Sky swallowed nervously and accepted the stylus from Spock. She pressed the tip lightly on the glass surface and scribbled her signature on the indicated line. Pike glanced over it and nodded to himself. "Everything's in order," he affirmed, glancing back up at Sky. "You deserve it."

She nodded with a small smile and Pike looked to the other two. "Kirk, Spock, stay here. I've got some things to discuss with you." Glancing back at the newly-promoted Starfleet Officer, he sent her a wry smile. "You're dismissed, _Lieutenant Commander_, though I'd like to meet up and get a drink some time."

* * *

Sky smiled widely as she exited the building, shaking her fists in the air and letting out an excited squeal. Promoted only five days after she graduated! She couldn't believe her luck, if one could call it that. Laying her forearm on her purse and the other now swaying at her side, she headed towards the highway to call a cab.

Just then her communicator chirped and she pulled it out of the front pocket of her purse, flicking it open. "What is it, April?" she inquired, watching the upcoming traffic warily and searching for a free cab.

_"__I have a free lunch at an old diner uptown; I was thinking we could head there for lunch?"_ April supposed, although she sounded like she had her communicator in between her shoulder and her jaw. Sky knew she worked at a science lab as an assistant to a professor, and she was probably carrying a stack of files, knowing how the old fart preferred using paper instead of PADD files.

"Yeah, that sounds good," Sky agreed. "If I can find a cab that ain't taken."

April chuckled. _"__Alright, meet you at your dorm at eleven-thirty."_

"Alright, thanks. Bye."

_"__Bye."_

Sky closed her communicator with a snap and shoved it back into her purse. Finally spotting an unclaimed cab, she waved it down. It slowed and she opened the door before slamming it again; she collapsed against the plush leather and let out a sigh. When did it become so hard to hail a damn cab?

"Trouble day?" asked the cabby.

"Oh, yeah," Sky answered. "Got promoted, headed to lunch. Nothin' better, right?"

He laughed in response. "Oh, yeah. Nothing better."

Sky thought she'd heard that laugh before, but dismissed it quickly. Her day had been good so far, and she didn't want to ruin it now.

"Where to?" inquired the cabby.

"Starfleet Dorm Building Five, please."

"Alright, lil' lady. I'll getcha there in a jiff."


	3. Unexpecting the Unexpected

**A/N:**** Okay, I had written this chapter while on a mini-vacation and the dang SD card wouldn't let me upload it onto my Word processor on my computer so I had to go back to my mom's laptop (the one I originally wrote it on) so I saved the document on my account there, then uploaded it here. xP Bleh.**

**Oh, the struggles of a writer. Please Review!**

**-Chapter 2-**

Sky thanked and paid the cab driver before entering the building and going up to her dorm room. _'__I am going to have to get an apartment of my own,' _she thought to herself as she looked in her closet for something to wear. She was still in her Starfleet uniform and she dared not go out in public in it for fear of the press seeing her. She'd never been one to enjoy popularity (unlike Jim Kirk).

She unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it off before throwing her hat lazily on her bed. Opening her closet door, she heaved a heavy sigh. Thoughts of being promoted only days after graduating and Spock having her as his Chief Assistant filled her mind; she had no idea why he would want to do that – why he'd want her and not some other lieutenant.

She huffed at her thought process and tugged her skirt off her hips before hanging both the shirt and skirt on hangers before placing her hat on the peg inside the closet door. She sighed again, staring longingly at her bed and the warm, comfortable, still-rumpled sheets…

_"__Beep, beep."_

She glared at her purse and dared her communicator to go off again. It took the risk.

_"__Beep, beep."_

She strutted over to her purse and snatched her communicator from the pocket and flicked it open.

"Hey, Nat."

_"__Hey, you got a minute?"_

"Whatcha need?"

_"__Can you pick me up? Maybe drop me off at our dorm?"_

"Why? What's wrong? I thought you were working with Bones?"

_"__It's…complicated."_

Sky was fairly surprised. Natasha always told her what was wrong, whether it involved a guy or –

_'__Of course,'_ she thought slapping her hand to her forehead and running back to the closet. _'__Dammit McCoy, if you did anything to hurt Natasha, I'm gonna-'_

Her communicator beeped again and she groaned. She grabbed it again and opened it with a snap. "What?" she demanded hotly.

The voice on the other side paused, seemingly surprised, but came on after a moment. _"__Wow, who lit your tampon fuse on fire?"_

"Jim," Sky grumbled, running a hand over her face. "That's very unbefitting of Command – especially when you're my Captain."

She could almost hear him smirk and shrug._ "__Oh well. Hey, have you heard from April lately?"_

Sky was taken aback slightly, and moved back to the closet to look at the clothes she could wear. _'__Jeans – definitely,'_ she thought, tugging a pair off of the hanger. "Yeah, Jim," she said, holding her communicator between her shoulder and jaw so she could hop into her pants. "I'm going to eat lunch with her after I pick up Natasha and drop her back off here. Why do you ask?"

_"__I just, er, wanted to talk to her…?"_

Sky's brow furrowed and she sighed. "Jim, I don't have time to be everyone's personal message carrier – I'm busy."

_"__Oh, uh, right – sorry. I guess I'll just talk to her later, I guess."_

Sky sighed again through her nose and peered at the shirts she had. "I can give you her comm signal, if you'd like."

Jim's voice brightened. _"__Oh, yeah – that would be great! Thanks, Sky."_

Sky's lips upturned slightly. "Don't mention it." At his momentary silence she added, "No seriously, don't mention it. At all. If April finds out I gave her signal to you-"

_"__Nah, don't worry about it,"_ Jim waved her off verbally. _"__I won't."_

The line was cut off and Sky tossed the communicator onto her bed, hoping to God she wouldn't have to talk to anyone else. Most of the time, she could withstand more-than-the-average social time than other people (a.k.a. April), but people just got on her nerves if they pushed her buttons long enough.

Sky decided upon a purple-and-white plaid button-up and shrugged it on before wandering into the bathroom to freshen up her makeup and take her hair out of the restraining ponytail and letting it loosely about her slender shoulders. As she exited the bathroom she was buttoning up her shirt when she noticed something on the computer screen on her and Natasha's desk.

There sat a perfect crimson rose, cropped and green-leafed as if it were just picked. She immediately searched the room for her phaser, but realized that she had not received a personal-use one from Starfleet yet. The crack in the closet door caught the attention of her peripheral and she quietly stepped over to it – slowly, warily. All of her CQC training in the Academy came rushing back and she tightened her fists, crouching into a defensive position and getting ready to strike at the slightest wink of an eye.

In a flash, she whipped the door open. Nothing was out of the ordinary – only a lone scrap of paper fluttered down onto the floor.

In scrawling, scarlet ink that looked eerily like blood, it read:

_**I've found you.**_

Suddenly she heard a minute beeping that was definitely not her communicator. Rooting around in her closet, she desperately searched for what she dreadfully hoped was not there-

_00:09_

Her eyes widened into the size of small moons. _'Oh, dear God – please no.'_

_00:08_

Running over to the emergency panel on the wall, she smashed the button and the covering lifted to reveal several buttons and switches.

_00:07_

The red one was her target.

_00:06_

She crunched it with her thumb and screeched into the microphone pickup, "Dormitory Building Five, immediate evacuation! I repeat,_ immediate evacuation_! There's a bomb that will detonate! This is not a drill – _I repeat, this is not a drill_, on Lieutenant Commander Lorion's order, _THIS IS NOT A DRILL!_"

_00:05_

She immediately heard footsteps around her: above, below – everywhere.

_00:04_

Whirling back around, she sprinted to the bomb and slammed her fist into it, making the lid lift agonizingly slowly.

_00:03_

Glancing wildly around at the various circuits and wires, she looked for something – _anything _that would indicate a deactivation sequence.

_00:02_

Finding nothing, Sky stood from her crouch and backed away from the small device, feeling adrenaline and shock start to flood into her system.

_00:01_

With a heartbeat-decision, Sky sprinted towards the window and leaped.

_00:00_

* * *

Natasha was worried.

It had taken Sky so long to pick her up with a cab that she'd finally just started walking home. She didn't like cabs that much – didn't trust the cabbies at all. She didn't know what it was (maybe she'd been watching too much of that twenty-first century BBC television show - Sherlock - with Sky too much; she much preferred Doctor Who).

Since she'd talked with Sky last, she had been left to wonder where her friend had gone. Natasha knew Sky didn't forget those types of things easily unless she was really stressed or emotionally compromised. Natasha huffed at herself. _'Sky – emotionally compromised? Hell, she might as well be setting fire to the rain while she's at it.'_

Turning the corner to the last block, Natasha caught sight of something drastically unexpected. Smoke billowed and flames roared inside the dormitory, floor – Natasha's eyes widened. Floor three – her and Sky's floor.

The street was crowded with firemen, police and Starfleet officers, and civilians demanding to know what occurred. Red and blue lights flashed as the giant flitters fought to die down the bright orange flames that threatened to burn the whole building down – with the risk of all the buildings around it.

Natasha sprinted forward, ignoring the protests of the officers present and looked around wildly for a sign of her friend.

"Natasha!"

The nurse turned and her breath hitched. April was running towards her, waving her arm to gain her attention if her voice did not succeed.

"What happened?" she demanded, glancing around the scene pointedly.

"I don't know," Natasha said. "I just got here."

The ambulances were finally arriving now. Paramedics started rushing about and Natasha realized that this was her job. But – she hesitated. Where was Sky?

"April! Natasha!"

They turned to see Jim and Spock rushing towards the scene. Jim – as he was not the half-Vulcan beside him – was panting heavily and had a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. Spock had neither of these qualities as he observed the scene with dark eyes.

"Where is Lieutenant Commander Lorion?" he inquired, seemingly calm, as if he were asking for attendance in his Academy class.

"I don't know," Natasha stated worriedly. "She was at here last time I spoke with her this morning."

"She left HQ after she got promoted," Jim stated, joining the others in sifting through the crowd with their eyes.

"She was going to have lunch with me," April offered weakly.

"Hey, guys."

They all turned to see none-other-than Sky, leaning heavily against a recently-arrived McCoy. Her clothes were torn and blood covered her arms and legs from various scratches. Her face was scraped up from looked like a pavement-skid as well as her hands. Her skin was layered with smoke and grit and she looked like she had a concussion. The blood leaking over her left eye was the immediate concern that they had for her, if they weren't being thankful she was still breathing.

"What the hell happened?" Jim asked, clearly shocked.

Sky wheezed in a breath and McCoy adjusted his hold on her so she could be a bit more comfortable. Seeing this, the two girls stepped forward and led her to a bench only a few feet away and helped her sit down. She nodded gratefully to them as they sat down on either side of her.

McCoy had his medical tricorder out and was scanning Sky when she swallowed and began her story. "I was getting ready to go out to lunch with April. I was in the bathroom, and when I came out there was a rose on my desk and the closet door was cracked.

"I opened the door and a," she swallowed, "a note was on the floor. I-it said, 'I've found you' in red ink – or at least I hope it was ink. Then I heard the beeping. It," she faltered slightly and took in a shaky breath, "it was a bomb."

The others' eyebrows furrowed slightly and they watched her intently, silently encouraging her to go on.

"I sounded an evacuation," she continued, quieter. "I tried to find a way to defuse it, but it was already too late."

"How did you accomplish escaping in such a short period of time?" queried Spock, hands clasped tightly behind his rigid back.

Sky looked blearily up at him. "How do you think?" she asked flatly. "I jumped out of a window onto the balcony two floors down."

"Sky," Natasha said, not angry but not quite scolding either, "you can't act like James Bond and jump from a window whenever you feel like it."

"Well, how else was I supposed to get away?" Sky snapped. They were slightly taken aback but Sky's face softened and she dropped her gaze to the ash-covered sidewalk. "Fifteen people died because of me," she murmured quietly; the humans had to strain to hear it.

"What do you mean?" April asked gently.

"Alright," McCoy cut in, "no more questions. She has a concussion and shock's starting to settle in. I'm going to have to get her treated, so you all go do your Starfleet thing." He shooed everyone but Natasha away and the Starfleet Officers watched as the two medics treated their friend.

"What do you think she meant by that?" Jim asked quietly, even if they were out of ear-shot.

"I don't know," April answered with a shake of her head. "This all happened so soon…maybe too soon."

Both men looked at her with slight confusion and she amended, "She still blames herself for the Vulcan thing. I'd almost say she's border-lining depression. The promotion cheered her up quite a bit, but now…"

Jim nodded in understanding. "Whatever she's thinking, it's not good for her. She's involved in whatever this is, and we all know it isn't her fault, whichever direction you come at it from. I think someone's trying to frame her, so I think we've got some investigating to do."

The other two nodded slightly in agreement, and their attention was dragged back over to Sky and the two doctors, who were trying to convince her to sit still long enough so McCoy could use the dermal regenerator to heal her wounds.

"I'm going to find this sonuvabitch, whether it costs me my career or not," April avowed.

Jim nodded and Spock's eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he regarded his new Chief Assistant as she tried to get away from the doctors' clutches despite her obvious pain.

_'__Whatever - or whoever - was responsible for this,'_ he mused, _'will certainly have a very unpleasant experience from this small group of humans whenever we discover his whereabouts.'_


	4. Christopher Pike: Father-Figure to All

**A/N:****Okay, here's chappy three. There is a very special cameo from a certain someone. *swoons* Anyways, let's go down to the facts. Sky (depressed woman) + Admiral Pike (comforter and father-figure) = fluffy brandy drinking. :3**

**Please Review!**

**-Chapter 3-**

Sky tried to bat away McCoy's persistent hand, but it was to no avail. She groaned as he applied more medication to her cheek, scowling as the thickly-based paste stung the scrapes on her face. "McCoy," she whined as he moved to retrieve some bandages. "How can you torture me so?"

He didn't even glance over his shoulder at her to reply. "Damn - you're near as bad as Jim," he muttered before stating more clearly, "If you want to get an infection with every little cut and have to have a derma-grafting procedure it'll be your fault. It hurts a helluva lot more than this does - hold still."

He had turned back to her while speaking and starting wrapping clean, white gauze around her gashed arm. She had landed in the same glass that she'd knocked out of the window and that resulted in some not-so-pretty injuries. McCoy and Natasha had dragged her down to the clinic shortly after diagnosing her with shock and a concussion and had ridden in a passing medical flitter.

After some wrestling and reprimanding, Sky had seated herself - with no huffs to loose - on the biobed and grudgingly allowed the Georgian doctor to work his magic while Natasha helped other people injured by the explosion in another room.

"You're damn lucky you're alive," he commented, tightening the gauze and sealing it with bandage tape before moving on to another scratch on her opposite arm. Sky winced again and her shoulders fell slightly - slightly, but noticeable to the Doctor's hawk-like eyes.

"You all right?" he asked quietly, pausing his movements and giving her a concerned look. Sky swallowed shallowly and nodded, although not quite meeting his gaze.

"Sky, I know that look," he said, brows furrowing slightly. "You can't blame yourself for something that none of us knew would happen."

"I know it's not my damn fault!" she snapped, pulling her arm roughly away from him. "Apparently everything that happens shouldn't have any effect on me. 'Oh, don't worry Sky - you shouldn't feel anything at all' - it's like everyone expects me to be_Vulcan _or something."

The doctor was stricken silent as he digested her words. He observed her was cautious eyes, weighing what he should say in response. Her face was fallen, her eyes downcast and hollow, and she held her forearm loosely as if she didn't realize it was there.

_'__All common signs of shock,'_ he reminded himself. He waited for her to say something else - she had to work this out on her own. That was one of the downfalls of being a doctor: you could heal all your friend's physical wounds, but their emotional and mental ones they had to work out by themselves.  
And he hated himself for that. He didn't know Sky very well, but from what Natasha had told him, she was easily influenced when something hit close to home.

How this involved home, however, he had no clue.

"He's finally found me."

McCoy was snapped from his thoughts when he heard Sky's soft-toned whisper. "What?"

Sky shook her head slowly, despairingly, but she would not say anything more.

McCoy finished up bandaging her wounds and he gave her a hypo-full of medication to help with the shock and another for the pain. She'd wound up with a cracked rib and a sprained wrist - not to mention the various slices thrown about her extremities, or the place on her head he had to close with a dermal regenerator that had caused the concussion in the first place. He allowed her to go freely after writing up everything on her file and she limped out of the room completely quiet.

After she left, Natasha popped her head inside McCoy's office. "Hey," she greeted quietly, eyes searching the room with a glance. "Sky gone?"

"Yeah," he responded, not taking his eyes off the holo-screen on his desk. "Lord knows I feel sorry for her."

Natasha nodded and entered the room fully, taking the residence of the biobed that Sky had sat on. "She could always handle pain pretty well," she commented, playing with her fingers and staring at a point far away.

McCoy glanced up at her with a slightly raised eyebrow. "What's got you in a jumble?"

She sighed heavily and slumped her shoulders. "Sorry about earlier," she mumbled. "My fault."

McCoy snorted and shrugged. "I'm not contradicting you."

Natasha chuckled quietly and a small smile twitched her lips upward.

* * *

Admiral Pike was standing in his office at Starfleet just as Kirk and Spock had left him. They'd all heard the resounding explosion and the two Starfleet Officers had sprinted from the room after exchanging glances. Pike would've followed them, too, but his leg… He swallowed and clenched his cane tighter, eyes turning hard as he stared at the darkening sky that was visible through the large window that took up the eastward wall.

It was dusk, and the brilliant colors were fading into a dim purple-black haze with the clouds casting silhouettes across the sky with the lingering smoke of the blast reaching its skinny fingers into the heavens. The other Starfleet personnel would be leaving about then, he thought offhandedly. But he had no interest in going home. Not now.

Not when there had been lives lost.

Fifteen Starfleet Cadets and Lieutenants - dead. Just like that. Their lives - they'd just begun to see their future and now…

Starfleet had begun immediate investigation on the disturbance, sifting through evidence and going through surveillance tapes to try and find the bomber. Nothing like this had happened since the late twenty-first century.

Just then, his communicator called for attention. He didn't move at first, acting like he didn't notice it. But after a few more chirps he finally turned and limped over to his desk, fishing the device from the wood and snapping it open. "Pike here," he acknowledged gruffly.

_"__Hey, Admiral…"_

His brows furrowed. "Lieutenant?"

Lorion paused for a moment before getting on with her explanation. _"__Do you think we could have that drink now?"_

* * *

Pike emerged into the tavern and immediately spotted the newly-promoted Starfleet Officer. She was dressed in loosely-fitting clothes that consisted of a half-unbuttoned red shirt with the black undershirt showing, jeans, and boots - she had obviously borrowed clothes from someone. A leather jacket was thrown over her frame and her eyes were tired. She was half hunched over the bar, forearms placed in front of her on the polished granite and staring into the emerald-colored liquid in the small glass that was placed under her nose.

The Starfleet Admiral walked forward, noticing that the bar was fairly busy so no one should interrupt this interaction. He seated himself down on the barstool beside the young woman and propped his cane up beside him. He folded his arms on the countertop and looked over at her with a consoling gaze.

Sky didn't know he was there - or maybe she knew but just didn't acknowledge him.

"You know, this place has the most peculiar Saurian brandy - it reminds me of whiskey, on how it tastes," he says, gesturing the bartender over and ordering two glasses of aforementioned alcoholic beverage.

Sky grunted in reply and swirled her drink around, the ice sphere clinking against the polished glass. She knocked it back and smacked her lips as the bitter taste traveled down her throat. Her eyes were dull and she had a completely different demeanor from when she had showed up at his office earlier that day.

"You know, we're not going to really get anywhere if you don't start talking," he said half amused, trying to lighten the mood. Sky grunted again as the bartender showed back up and gave them the new glasses.

"Well, I don't think you'd want to listen to be all 'woe-is-me' and sobbing, do you? And plus, you're practically a total stranger to me - not many people enjoy talking to people they don't know." she said drily.

Pike shrugged and tilted his head slightly. "Sometimes it's easier to talk to a complete stranger than to someone you know. And crying about it makes it all the more better - I would know."

"Sure you do."

"I'm pretty sure I do, since you weren't the one that had a bug shoved down your throat."

He meant it in a sardonic manner, and he was pretty sure the toning worked because she chuckled quietly. She met his gaze and the heavy-laden look she'd had wasn't as noticeable. "Yeah, and you're not the one whose parents died when you were five."

He digested those words slowly. _'__How do I always manage to find the strays?'_ he asked himself.

"Yup - I knew you wouldn't have a comeback for that one," she commented, stretching her arms upward with a resounding crack in her spine. When they landed again, she grasped the glass and allowed the blue-tinted liquid to touch the tip of her tongue. It did taste - as Pike had said - like whiskey.

After a few moments of silence Pike spoke up again. "I knew your father."

Sky snorted quietly. "Who didn't?" she murmured before taking another sip of the brandy.

Pike looked back over at her again, gaging her reactions. She acted eerily similar to that of Jim when it came to her parents. _'__Maybe, over time,'_ he mused thoughtfully, _'__they'll find friendship over that fact.'_

"He was a great man," continued the Admiral, gulping down some of the brandy. "Cared a lot about his family - you included."

Sky nodded absently and continued swirling her drink, staring down at the small ripples the action made. "He took me to HQ a few times," she began, "several peace conferences on Earth, too." She chuckled as a memory popped up into her mind. "One time there was a meeting with several different Ambassadors and I snuck away to play with this Vulcan boy - I was four and he was seven, I think. I don't really remember what he looked like, though, or who his parents were."

"There are several Vulcan Ambassadors who have sons," Pike agreed.

The grin that had twisted Sky's lips upward now started to disappear again and she placed the glass down on the countertop before rubbing her eyelids tiredly. "Damn," she muttered, "that brandy sure does a number on you."

Pike nodded. "I've gotten used to it - done forgot it gives you a headache. Sorry."

"Nah, it's fine," Sky waved him off. She pushed herself from the stool and tugged her jacket, zipping it up to her neck. "Thanks for the drink, Admiral, and the stranger to talk to."

Pike smiled softly at her. "Well, the stranger's always there if you need him. And his name is Christopher."

Sky smiled softly and nodded goodbye to him before walking out of the tavern. It was fairly chilly outside and she shivered against the nip of the breeze. Suddenly she felt someone watching her - the hairs on her neck rose and she reached into her jacket pocket for the pocket knife April had loaned her.

There was movement in her peripheral and she whirled around, eyes narrowed dangerously. A figure disappeared around the corner of a building and Sky had the urge to run - it could be the person who tried to blow her into oblivion. But…something told her it wasn't. It was just a twinge, but she felt it nonetheless.

She kept her hand on the knife but slowly walked towards where she spotted the figure last. She cursed the slight blurriness in her eyes from the brandy.

"Who's there?" she called a few yards away from the corner where he'd disappeared. There weren't any lights and she could scarcely see, but she could make out a faint figure.

Suddenly the person moved and a hand clamped over her mouth. Sky's hands flew to the hand on her mouth, but she stopped when she felt the warmer-than-human skin.

"I do not think it wise to scream, lest you should attract attention to yourself," a monotone voice sounded beside her ear. She pulled away and glared up at the elder Spock.

"You scared the shit outta me, ya know!" she snapped quietly, although she felt a light blush crawl up her cheeks from the skin contact.

Spock's eyes twinkled even in the absence of light from slight humor. Sky huffed when he didn't respond and rubbed her face with her hand. "Okay, what are you doing here? I thought you would go to New Vulcan or something," she asked tiredly.

The Vulcan's face morphed from amusement to that of slight worry. "I overheard what occurred at your dorm building and I was concerned for your wellbeing."

Sky snorted. "Oh yeah, and I guess you just happened to know I would be at this bar, huh?"

"You often came to this place in my time," he replied, the twinkle coming back. "But I believe this is not the proper place for a reunion."


	5. I'm a Doctor, Not a Heart Surgeon!

**A/N:**** So we left off with Spock Prime...yeah... My mom helped me a_ lot_ with this chapter, so thank you! This is leading up (if it wasn't already) to the main story arc, which I refer to as 'Rest, Recover, 'n Recuperate.' And then that leads to the 'Vulcan-to-Human' arc. xP**

**Please Review!**

**-Chapter 4-**

The clouds had settled in and it could now be classified as raining cats and dogs. Lightning flashed eerily against the windows and wind howled songs of mourning. Spock Prime had taken Sky to his apartment that the Starfleet Council had loaned to him.

Sky was sitting on his couch wringing her hair out with the towel that elder Vulcan had given to her. They hadn't reached the building in time to save themselves from the onslaught of cold, wet deluge. Spock was in the kitchen brewing tea, leaving her to her own devices. She observed the apartment curiously; she'd never been in a Vulcan's quarters-let alone Spock's quarters and she had been correct in thinking that they didn't decorate very much.

The walls were white with various bookshelves and furniture scattered about the room. It was obvious that he wasn't really trying to settle in; Sky figured that she had been correct in speculating he'd be going to New Vulcan soon. Although she did notice a small hologram device placed on the desk in the corner of the room and she was about to get up and investigate when Spock entered the sitting room again.

He had two non-handle mugs in his long fingers, steam rising from the golden liquid. He handed one cup to her and she accepted it with a nod as he seated himself on the couch opposite her. She breathed in the steam slowly, allowing the bittersweet scent to coat her nostrils and warm her face from its numbness.

"Plomeek?" she inquired randomly.

Spock Prime's eyebrow arched slightly, but he didn't seem surprised. "Yes."

Sky nodded and lifted the ceramic mug to her mouth, cautiously letting the warm beverage slide past her lips and coat her tongue before traveling down her throat. The sensation of her stomach warming sent cold bumps across her skin and she shivered slightly. The Vulcan sitting before her watched her with those warm, dark eyes and she met his gaze unwaveringly.

For the next few moments, they just watched each other; not speaking - simply observing. They were two people from two completely different worlds - two different realities. Both had similarities to their counterparts, and yet they were stark opposites.

"I've made a decision," Sky stated, swallowing shallowly.

A brow lifted again in a silent query to elaborate.

She cleared her throat quietly. "I…I'm going to resign from Starfleet."

A clearly surprised look entered Spock's eyes, and he remained silent in order to contemplate his reply. After a moment his brows furrowed slightly and he tilted his head forward slightly, watching her purse her lips and gain a faintly blank look.

This Spock was not at all like that of the half-Vulcan Sky knew: While he looked the same as his other, his face showed more emotions, as if he did not care about what people (more specifically Vulcans) thought of him, plus the fact that he had that old, wizened gaze that Sky couldn't describe. His warm, calming gaze and the lines etched in his face clearly told of a lifetime of experiences – all long past and unknown to anyone but him.

"Why would you make such a decision?" he inquired almost disbelievingly.

Sky heaved a sigh and dropped her gaze to the floor. "I…I don't know…maybe it's just the stress - or maybe the new responsibility is starting to take its toll."

"It is not that, is it?"

Her eyes lifted up to his face again, seeing his knowing look. The assertion had not been voiced in the tone of a question; it sounded more like that of a surely-known statement. As she regarded him, he did the same. She noticed – after a moment – that while he was definitely more aged, he had the same eyes. Those all-knowing, chocolate orbs that burned into her soul…that were now seemingly…blurry…

Then there was a distinct throbbing behind her eyes and under the spot where McCoy had sealed off the wound with the dermal regenerator. She had noticed it before at the tavern with Pike, but quickly dismissed it as the sedative the doctor had given her finally wearing away.

However, now that she thought about it, she was having a bit of trouble breathing, too.

"Lieutenant, are you not well?"

Sky blinked and rubbed her eyes with the pads of her fingers until she saw stars. "I…I don't feel…all right…"

Spock watched, startled, as Sky slid to the floor at his feet, unconscious and scarcely breathing.

* * *

Leonard McCoy was not happy.

It had been "suggested" that he work in the hospital down on Fifth Street because of the increase of casualties. Only fifteen people died, but a damn-lot of people had been injured in the explosion. Right now, finally, he was taking a coffee break in the lobby, enjoying a minute of blissful quiet. The rain having finally settled to a patter, splashed on the pavement outside with the bright, white flashes flickering, casting ominous shadows on the floor.

The good doctor sat at the desk, having dismissed the young intern minutes earlier to go home. The plastic cup in his hand was warm, but steam had stopped rising from it. Just plain, black coffee, he thought, was the best cure for anything - with the exception of an old, tall glass of brandy. He was reading over the reports that the other doctors and nurses had written, sometimes grumbling complaints about how they didn't seal off a wound right or not using the right medication for a bruise or something of the similar.

Suddenly, the entryway door slammed open and a dark-clothed figure stepped inside, carrying a seemingly unconscious young woman.

McCoy was up in a heartbeat, dropping the forgotten cup in the trash and rushing over to the hooded figure. "What hap-Sky? What the hell did you do to her?" he snapped at the man with a deeply angered and somewhat demanding look.

"I have not, in any way that I am aware, harmed this Lieutenant, Doctor McCoy, but I believe she may have an injury that was undiagnosed by her triage physician."

"I was her triage physician, and I didn't miss anything. How the hell do you know her?" McCoy growled suspiciously.

"Then apparently you were neglect in your duties," the hooded man quipped. "Now is not the time for explanations nor introductions, Doctor. Will you attempt to save this woman or not?"

McCoy was slightly taken aback. This man, though his face was shadowed under the hood, sounded so familiar…

"Follow me," he commanded gruffly, putting his previous thoughts aside and focusing on the task at hand, already snapping orders right and left and was being hastily obeyed without question. Sky was soon situated on a biobed and Doctor McCoy was scanning her once again.

Preliminary tests once again showed nothing wrong with the young woman. But it was obvious from her shallow breathing and paling skin that something was terribly wrong.

Spock stood in the corner out of the way watching the good doctor work his magic. He knew that it was eating the doctor up on that he had misdiagnosed Sky in the first place. Doctor McCoy had the entire emergency room crew working in a frenzy. Blood was being drawn and tests being performed in record time. As minutes passed, Spock could tell from the furrowed brow of the doctor that he still couldn't find what was ailing the young woman. As her heart rate dropped lower and lower, both Spock and the doctor became worried.

"I want a portable full-body scanner now!" McCoy ordered. In seconds, the machine was scanning the now nearly comatose girl.

"Doctor, we're losing her!" a nurse announced, not that everyone in the room couldn't hear the heart monitor's beeping slowing down.

Finally, Spock had had enough. He pushed his hood away from his face and spoke quietly into the ordered chaos.

"Doctor McCoy, please have everyone leave the room," he demanded quietly but firmly.

The doctor continued to work frantically over the girl.

Spock repeated himself with force behind it. "_Doctor_, please have _everyone_ leave the room."

McCoy finally glanced up to tell the man in the corner to remove himself from the premises, but froze with shock. There, standing in front of him, was an older-looking Spock.

"Sarek?" he queried incredulously.

"No, but that should serve as an acceptable purpose in this instance. Please allow me mind-meld with her; I might be able to locate the problem that way."

Puzzled by the man's answer, McCoy stepped back and open-handedly gestured to Sky. He wasn't sure who he was dealing with, but he'd worked with Vulcans long enough to know that this man might be able to save Sky's life.

Spock wasted no time in stepping to the biobed and positioning his fingers on the now comatose Sky's face. In fact, McCoy saw that he was using both hands. That told him right then that the Vulcan was seriously worried and acting fast.

Spock was so frightened for the girl that he didn't worry with niceties; he burrowed deep into her mind, pushing into her cerebral cortex to seek the damage. The brute invasion made Sky's body jerk on the biobed. Once in, he almost grew frantic, for he saw how truly close they were to losing her. He pulled out just as abruptly. He knew it would leave her with a terrible headache, but it would save her life.

"Her broken rib ripped a tiny tear in her pericardial sac and she is going into cardiac arrest. She is comatose and you have about ten minutes to save her," Spock reported to the stunned doctor.

"Damn you man, that's open-heart surgery! I'm a starship doctor, not a heart surgeon!"

"You do not have time to procure a heart surgeon. Doctor, I have full confidence in your capabilities, and you now have only nine minutes to save this woman. I recommend you cease complaining like that of a child and begin surgery immediately."

Being referred to as a child by a Vulcan snapped McCoy out of his stupor and growing panic. He had the trauma team back and working in seconds. He didn't notice Spock step out of the room.

* * *

The soft, golden lamplight threw shadows across the apartment's living room while the only inhabitant intently watched the holo-screen on the wall. Jim Kirk was left weary after the protocol meeting held at Starfleet HQ regarding the explosion at the Dorm Buildings. He and Spock had departed ways after the aforementioned meeting, neither happy with what little information the search had uncovered on who had caused the catastrophe.

The curtains were closed and the apartment was darkened. The young Starfleet Captain was troubled - he daresay more so than he had been in the Nero incident. That had been resolved and the wounds were starting to heal, but it had not been forgotten by any of the crew.

But while some wounds would heal, others would leave a scar as a continued reminder. He knew that all too well.

Suddenly, his communicator chirped and Jim dragged his attention away from the holo-screen to the small device that was sitting on the coffee table. At first, he was going to ignore it, but he elected to humor whoever it was on the other end with his slightly melancholy demeanor.

"Kirk here."

_"Hey, Jim - it's Natasha."_

The Captain was taken slightly by surprise at the Nurse's unexpected call. "Nat? What's wrong?"

_"Jim, do you know where Sky is? I haven't seen her since Bones and I brought her to the clinic."_

Jim paused for moment, raking through his memory. "I haven't seen her since you left with her. Where do you think she could be?"

_"I don't know. I've asked April, I've asked you - I haven't called Spock, yet. You think he might know?"_

The captain shrugged, even though she couldn't see it. "I don't know; I just got back here from the protocol meeting and he's gone back to - wherever he lives."

The nurse was silent for a moment, seemingly distracted, before she gasped.

"Nat? What's wrong?"

_"L-Leonard just messaged me…"_

"Is it Sky?"

_"…She's…she's dying, Jim."_


	6. Times Not Forgotten

**A/N:**** Oh, man, I need to stop waiting so long to update! I'm so sorry for my laziness! I'll try to be better in the future. xP There's a brief mention of the episode _'Operation: Annihilate!'_ (I think that's the right one).**

**Please Review!**

**-Chapter 5-**

Standing at the waiting room window and staring at nothing, Spock's impassive features showed no sign of the turmoil he was puzzling over inside. Living with Jim and Leonard for all those years in his universe had taught him to recognize and accept more of his human nature, and he realized he was truly fearful for the girl's life. Even though what he said was true, and he did have full confidence in the doctor's seemingly god-like ability to save lives at any given condition, his nerves were strung out and he felt as though they would snap at any second.

It had been presumably an hour since he'd left the emergency surgery room - an hour long of inwardly fretting and beating himself. He'd known Sky - _in his universe_, he had to remind himself - for ninety-nine-point-five years - he should've known something was wrong; he should've _noticed _something. _Something_. And given the rate of his thoughts, he hadn't even noticed he was pacing the length of the room. The person who entered next, however, pointed that out to him.

"It is illogical to show worry in such a forthcoming manner."

This deterred the elder Vulcan as he turned to greet his younger counterpart, nodding curtly and stilling himself. "Commander Spock."

"Ambassador." The younger of the two tilted his head slightly in a respectable fashion. "I received word of this…unfortunate turn of events fourteen-point-thirty-four minutes ago by Captain Kirk."

The elder regarded the younger and he was slightly disappointed by what he didn't find in the Commander's eyes. There wasn't anything of noticeable quality - neither emotions nor indications of what he was feeling about the situation were visible. There was, however, a stiff-backed young half-Vulcan half-human that the elder knew was ashamed at himself for the friendship he knew he felt for the young woman.

_'It was the same way back so long ago,'_ thought Spock Prime, forlornly glancing back in his eidetic memory to the times that he discovered he cherished most. _'I was so reluctant to consider her a friend, and yet she was so patient with me.'_

"Are you aware of any new developments?" inquired the Commander, moving to stand in front of his elder self.

"No - not anyone has exited or entered the room where Sky is being operated in," answered the elder.

Spock arched an eyebrow at the elder's use of the Lieutenant Commander's first name. Such a thing indicated that he was familiar with her - more so than Spock thought he himself was - but the question was how close was his counterpart with her?

"May I ask a potentially personal query?"

The elder's eyebrows rose faintly in a silent gesture to proceed with his question.

The younger Spock tilted his head to the side slightly. "You refer to Lieutenant Commander Lorion by her first name; may I ask why?"

Spock Prime's eyes dropped and he slowly turned towards the window behind them, thus resulting in Spock's lips quirking downward slightly.

"You are aware that I have vowed to not inform you or anyone else of the events of my timeline?"

"Affirmative."

"I believe I will make an exception."

But before he could begin telling his younger counterpart about his relationship with his universe's Sky, the waiting room doors opened again, allowing Jim, Natasha, and April charge in.

Jim was panting and soaked by the rain, as were the other two women, and his brows furrowed when he saw his First Officer. "I told you about this nine minutes ago - how did you manage to get here before me?"

Spock the younger simply blinked. "I live in closer proximity to this medical facility, therefore - logically - I should be able to arrive here before you, considering you live farther away."

"Yeah, yeah," Natasha waved him off with a hand. "Where's Sky?"

"Fifteen rooms down the hall," the Commander informed her, to which she nodded thanks and rushed down the corridor.

Spock's counterpart had pulled his hood over his face again before the humans had seen him, so when Jim and April noticed him, confusion entered their eyes.

"Who're you?" April asked incredulously, eyes narrowing slightly. "Why're you wearing a hood inside?"

Jim, upon realizing who it was through his own thoughts, cut in before any more questions could be asked. "His eyes are, uh, ultra-sensitive to light," he lied, casting a sideways glance at his First Officer as a silent order not to contradict him.

Then, surprisingly, Spock Prime spoke. "Affirmative. An unfortunate incident occurred in my youth where I was temporarily stricken blind, and as a result, my eyes cannot withstand much interference with light."

While he was the only one who knew this, Spock the elder was not lying - simply exaggerating. He had been temporarily blinded in his youth due to a crisis upon a colonized planet and his attempt at finding a cure for an alien parasite's mind control.

April nodded after a moment, believing the information - even if it was slightly altered. "Okay - seems legit. I'm going to see if there're any food replicators around."

After she disappeared into another hall, the three men were left alone. For a few moments they were silent, the situation bidding them into contemplative silence.

"What are you still doing on Earth, Spock?" queried Jim, crossing his arms over his chest. "I thought you said you were going to New Vulcan?"

"I was led to believe the same," added the Science Officer, looking to his counterpart, who pushed his hood back once again. "You clearly indicated you were leaving to help rebuild our race."

The elder Vulcan nodded submissively, his eyes downcast to the floor. "I was indeed planning to travel to New Vulcan," he explained, "but I canceled my dealings because I heard of the incident at the Starfleet Dormitories."

Jim gained a look of befuddlement. "So you stayed because…you were worried about Sky?"

Spock Prime nodded slowly. "I cannot deny that statement."

"It is illogical," cut in the younger Vulcan, arching an eyebrow. "'The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one.'"

The Ambassador stared into the First Officer's eyes. "Is that truly how you feel about this situation?" he inquired, almost sadly.

The younger was stricken silent at the emotion in his counterpart's statement - and his eyes.

"You have yet to answer my inquiry," the younger stated softer than usual, and Jim felt a strange sense of deja-vu, but elected to remain silent for the sake of continuing the conversation.

"As you know, I have made a vow not to interfere with this timeline's development - but as I similarly informed my counterpart before you arrived, I shall make an exception, for you must know how much Sky Lorion impacted the lives of my colleagues and I. Sky, in my reality, was very similar to the Sky in this reality. Bold, witty, compassionate - all those traits are clearly the same. She was assigned to the _Enterprise_ for the duration of five years - something that I cannot inform you more of - as a consultant for the Science Officer."

"You," Jim assumed aloud.

"Yes," Spock affirmed. "I selected her as my Chief Assistant after she proved her extensive scientific knowledge during an incident where I was unable to perform my duties due to an unfortunate injury. I observed her works; she was most efficient in her reports and very thorough - a quality I had not seen in many personnel before. After her promotion to Chief Assistant, we began to work together as a 'team' of sorts, and as she was ranking as a Commander, she often took the conn for the bridge if Captain Kirk and I were beaming down to a planet to analyze the life there.

"Most of the time, however, she would accompany us as well as Doctor McCoy. She got us out of many situations with her quick wit and intelligence - and her sense of humor often relaxed tensions between bridge crewmembers. After the course of several missions, I found myself…being drawn to her."

Spock Prime paused for a moment, but seeing the curious looks from both younger men he continued. "She, not surprisingly, did not notice my increasing discomfort around her, since I attempted to regain our strictly professional relationship by drawing my feelings within myself and not informing her of such. But, after the longest period of time, she began to notice my distress and questioned me about the situation.

"I simply dismissed her inquiries, and as a result, she only attempted to query me further. Finally, after long and unsuccessful probing, she went to Jim seeking answers. I had confessed my predicament to him after it had grown to almost be unbearable, but he kept his word in not informing Sky of my feelings toward her."

"So, basically, you had a crush on her," Jim deduced, tilting his head slightly and gaining a slight look of amusement, "and you didn't tell her because you were embarrassed?"

"Essentially, yes," responded the elder Vulcan.

The younger, however, was utterly puzzled. He had a relationship with Nyota, and only considered Sky a colleague and fellow crewmember. "You did not have an emotional relationship with Lieutenant Uhura?" he queried uncertainly.

"Uhura?" the Ambassador inquired in slight surprise. "Lieutenant Nyota Uhura?"

"Affirmative."

"She was a close acquaintance, and in many ways, a sister to me. I did not share a private emotional relationship with her."

Just then, the sound of a door opening and closing reached their ears and McCoy appeared at the entranceway, surgical garbs and plastic gloves and all. Said gloves were soaked in scarlet liquid. His facial expression was not the most welcome sight to any of them.

"How is she?" Jim asked with his brows furrowed worriedly, though he figured he knew what the answer was anyway.

The Doctor shook his head slowly, closing his eyes as if he were in pain. "I got everything patched up, but…she's just slipping. I don't know what it is, but…she's just giving up. I never would have thought she'd let go so easily."

After a moment McCoy looked back up. "Where's April?"

"She said she was looking for a food replicator," Jim informed him. "Natasha?"

"She's with Sky," the doctor replied.

The room was stricken silent and after a few agonizing long moments, Spock Prime spoke up, though his voice was slightly subdued. "Sky informed me she was going to resign from Starfleet."

They looked at him shocked, not believing what they heard.

"What?" McCoy asked in disbelief. "She just got promoted - why would she quit?"

"She blames herself for the explosion," Jim replied, shaking his head. "And we haven't gotten a single lead on where the bastard who caused the explosion went."

"Perhaps I can be of assistance."

All eyes landed on the gray-headed half-Vulcan.

"How?" inquired Jim.

"A Vulcan mind-meld," the younger Spock deduced.

"Correct," the elder affirmed.

"Now, wait just a damn minute," McCoy cut in, furrowing his brows and jabbing a finger at the Ambassador. "You've already done that _Vulcan mind-voo-doo_ on her once, and you told me her health condition. I don't know how plan to bring her back, but you seemed pretty _adamant_ the first time round-"

If Vulcans could look horrified, shocked, and mortified at the same time, the younger Spock would have made a perfect example. "You have already…?"

"I understand your concerns, Doctor. However, if you doubt my abilities, than you should act upon your disapproval at this current moment," replied Spock Prime, ignoring his counterpart's presumption.

McCoy sputtered for a moment before Jim stepped in. "Bones, if he thinks can save her, then I think we should let him try," he stated, holding up his hands with his palms facing the ceiling.

"But you would be committing kae'at k'lasa a second time, if Doctor McCoy's word is true," Spock interjected, staring at his counterpart.

"What the hell is kayeat kalaysa?" McCoy asked incredulously.

"To be translated roughly, it means 'mind rape'," answered Spock Prime.

McCoy paled slightly at the choice of words.

Spock Prime continued, "I believe that I can convince her to not release her bond to this world."

"How?" queried Jim. "By debating with her? She's dying, Spock, and normally there's nothing that can be done."

McCoy's eyebrows shot up. "There's _two_ of you? How the hell-"

"Not now, Bones," Jim muttered quietly.

"Persuasion does not always result from debating," Spock Prime told him, "but proof of a lighter path can."

"Proof?"

"I shall show her my memories."


	7. Mind-Meld Headaches

**A/N:**** Okay, first thing's first...this was somehow very awkward to write. I have no freaking idea how, but it felt...I don't even have the words to explain it. For one thing: mind-melds are essentially ****_HARD TO WRITE_****. Like, oh my god - it's just little voices and the 'he said', 'she said', here and there. It's almost completely mind-dialogue (if that's even a term...now it is). So, yeah. Enjoy and please Review!**

**-Chapter 6-**

Spock Prime entered the emergency room once again; he was grateful that Doctor McCoy had brought Nurse Natasha from the room to the waiting area so she would not interfere. The sight of Sky, however, disturbed him greatly.

Her face was deathly pale, and she was surrounded by various monitors and machines, only clinging to her existence by the life-support machinery that kept her heart beating and lungs breathing. A mask was placed over her nose and mouth with a small cloud of condensation from her breaths layering the inside of the plastic. Her face was serene, as if she felt no pain. McCoy had most likely mixed a narcotic in the IV tube that was attached to the inside of her right elbow that contained nutritional supplements. The incision above her left breast had been sealed and covered by a thick wrapping of bandages, and a thick bed sheet was laid across her abdomen and legs to keep her warm.

Spock pulled a nearby chair over beside Sky's bedside and studied her face intensely. Her arms were at her sides, turned upward to allow easier access for various IV tubes and vital instruments. After a moment, he reached forward and took her hand in his, lacing his fingers between hers and squeezing gently. There was no response.

He released her hand and leaned forward, lining up his fingers on the correct psi points on her face. This time he took every precaution and gently entered her mind. There wasn't any conscious response, but he could sense her there, as if she lay dormant.

_'Sky,'_ he called to her consciousness. _'You must not allow yourself to give in this way.'_

She remained silent, whether from the various sedatives McCoy had given her or by her own will, he did not know.

_'Sky, you cannot leave - you're life has only begun. There is hope on the other side, and all you need is the strength to push through. Allow me to help you - to give you the strength and the courage to face this. This never happened in my time, but that does not mean that it should change you or anyone else around you. If you give up now, you shall only proceed to pull apart the family that is just starting to come together. All of them - Sulu, Scotty, Chekov, Uhura, Jim, McCoy, April, Natasha, and my younger counterpart included - they need you. You have no idea how much of an impact that you have and will have upon their lives.'_

_'What use am I to them?'_

Her soft, subdued thought caught him by surprise. He had not expected her to reply.

_'In many ways you are like a mother or sister to them,'_ he replied. _'An irreplaceable friend.'_

_'Sure. I let fifteen cadets get blown to bits because I couldn't find the damn off-switch to that bomb. How much of an 'irreplaceable friend' is that? Their lives were just beginning - now they're over.'_

_'You must not blame yourself for this,'_ he told her, mental voice intoning a command. _'Whoever developed that bomb must have been much more mechanically educated than you - you are a scientist, not an engineer.'_

_'I may not be an engineer, but I could've done something-'_

_'No, you could not have stopped it. It was purely another's act, and whoever it will be brought to justice - but whether it was just plotted there in your dorm by a miscalculation, or by a purpose none of us know, you must promise me you will not blame yourself.'_

_'How can I promise you something when I'm dying?'_

_'Your mind is dying and pulling your body with it. Someone once told me that you can either go on and face life head-on, or you can turn your back to it and start to die inside.'_

_'Yeah? And who told you that?'_

_'You did.'_

She was stricken silent as images of memories long past flashed before the eye of their conjoined minds.

_'You were my everything,'_ Spock's voice whispered, as if it were murmuring in her ear. _'You brought the battle within me to cease as a calm sea. You brightened the life aboard the _Enterprise_ - and not just from my point of view. Jim, McCoy, Natasha - all of them. In many ways, you changed all of our lives.'_

Sky remained silent - the images still flashed like snapshots from an old-style Earth camera. The last memory he showed her, however, was located on the bridge of what she could only assume was the _Enterprise_, and everyone was accounted for:

The bridge looked a bit…boxier, and more awkward, if that even fit the description correctly. It contained less people, and even less stations, but the key personnel were there.

Jim, sitting in the Captain's chair, and with hazel eyes that Sky noticed, not the Jolly Rancher blue that they were in her universe; he was a bit rounder than his younger counterpart, but other than that they weren't much different. Bones was standing beside him, arching eyebrows giving the skepticism that he'd always shown; he also had ice-blue eyes…it was like the two switched eyes or something.

Uhura, sitting in what Sky assumed was the communications station, looked almost identical (minus the different hairstyle, but it suited her nonetheless). Sulu and Chekov - bless their hearts. They looked the same, except for the fact that he had dark brown hair in the shape of a side-slid bowl-cut.

Then…Sky saw herself, from what she assumed was Spock's sight. She was seated in the secondary Science Station located beside Spock's, leaning to look into the hooded monitor that copied Spock's. Her hair was the same: straight, mid-shoulder length. The uniform, however, made her seem shorter than she was. But then, she turned with a bright smile. Her ice-blue eyes sparkled the same way, but the slight yellow tint to her skin caught the observer off-guard. Sky's counterpart's ears were pointed. Her eyebrows were at an upward slant.

She was a Vulcan.

_Sky_ was a _Vulcan_.

_In another universe, _Sky _was a _Vulcan_ and _married _to _Spock_._

_'You were originally human, and during a mission to a diplomatic affair to a planet, you were transformed into a half-Vulcan.'_

_'How the hell did that happen?'_

_'It is a story for another time. But do you see how much you are needed?'_

Sky went silent for a moment, mentally observing the scene in front of her. _'I assume you want me to just keep going?'_

_'That would be my wish, yes.'_

_'Maybe…maybe I really need to…stay.'_

_'You are needed. You _must_ stay.'_

_'I…I will.'_

Spock Prime felt a massive weight lift from his shoulders. He slowly broke the meld, and pulled out from her mind. Her face had morphed into a light pink color - the normal shade of humans. He was assured that she would not leave, given that two beautifully sparkling icy blue eyes were gazing at him.

* * *

The humans in the waiting room all had faces of worry and distraught. April had her face buried in Jim's shoulder, sobbing at the inevitable. Natasha was teary-eyed and sitting beside McCoy, who had an arm thrown around her shoulders as a sign of comfort. Spock was the only one standing.

He held his stoic demeanor at the entrance of the hall, almost like mythical stone statue that was guarding a sacred room or something of the similar. His thoughts, however, were almost at Warp Nine. His elder counterpart had informed him of an emotional relationship with Sky, but he himself was with Lieutenant Uhura. The Ambassador had shown clear shock when he informed him of this. From his 'body language', as Terrans referred to it as, had obviously told the younger Vulcan what he had already begun to believe.

In his universe, the Ambassador and Sky had been bonded.

Spock's conclusion was interrupted by the sound of automatic doors sliding open and shut again with greeting and departing.

Everyone looked up simultaneously as Spock Prime came into view. His eyes were shockingly warm, happiness flittering around freely in the brown orbs. "She will pull through," he stated with a slight upturn of his lips.

The humans sighed with relief and Spock raised an eyebrow at his counterpart. Convincing a dying human was a dangerous risk…but for some illogical reason, he felt a sense of relief and gratitude.

The two medics approached the elder Vulcan. "Is she conscious?" McCoy asked, looking like he was about to charge into the room and begin another full examination to see if the Ambassador was speaking the truth.

"She was for precisely one minute and fifteen seconds, but she fell back asleep right after I broke the mind-meld," he informed them.

Natasha sent him a massive look and thanks and followed her superior into the room. Jim then stepped toward them, hand placed on April's hip. "Are you sure she's fine?" she inquired softly, tears still shining around her dark blue eyes.

"I am sure," responded Spock Prime, eyes flicking with amusement at their closeness.

They seemed to notice the elder's gaze because Jim's cheeks flushed pink and he took a step away from the woman; she was bright red as well.

The younger Spock's eyebrow arched in a cross of amusement and dubiousness.

Perhaps everything would classify as 'normal' now.

* * *

Sky cracked open her eyes, feeling the golden rays of sunshine warm her face. The curtains were drawn back and the windows were open, allowing a cool morning breeze to flow through the room. The dull scent of disinfectants and narcotics wafted to her nose but she knew she didn't even have the strength to sneeze. She was alive, at least.

She shivered slightly at an attempt to warm herself, and longingly gazed at the blanket resting on the foot of the bed. The hospital sheet did no justice in warming her numb feet.

Sky took notice of the various machines around her, before her eyes settled on the IV sticking into her arm. For one thing, she'd had minor trypanophobia (the fear of needles) ever since she was three, when two of the nurses at the local pediatrician's office got the bright idea to give her _two shots_ in each arm on the _same day_.

She shifted uncomfortably and heaved a sigh, then immediately regretted it by way of the dull throbbing her left breast had. _'Wunderbar,'_ she thought with a scowl.

Just then the doors slid open and Natasha walked in, staring down at a Medical PADD. She had obviously just come to check in on her friend's vitals.

"Mornin', Nat."

It was pure luck that Natasha caught the PADD when she dropped it in shock. "Sky?" She rushed over to her and smiled brightly. "You're awake!"

"No shit, Sherlock," Sky grumbled, blinking drowsily. "What happened?"

Natasha's smile fell. "You don't remember?"

Sky slowly shook her head, hoping she wouldn't make the throbbing in her cranium worse. "All I remember is Spock Prime debating with me in my mind. Damn Vulcan."

Natasha smiled again and patted her friend's head gently. "You're fine."

Sky grunted. "I don't _feel_ fine, but I'm alive, so I guess I shouldn't be complaining. You got any ibuprofen for this headache?"

Natasha chuckled and moved to start checking the monitors around the room. "I'll give you a light sedative after you've eaten something."

With a groan Sky squeezed her eyes shut. "_Please_ tell me I don't have to eat that _mush_ that's an excuse for food. _Please_ tell me, Natasha."

"Sorry, considering how weak you are, you couldn't digest a medium rare steak and a baked potato drowned in A1 without throwing up."

Sky grumbled. "Now you're just torturing me."

Natasha smiled and started punching in a code into the replicator located in the wall beside the bathroom door. "Sorry, it's just basic medical procedures."

"Medical procedures, my ass."

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Maybe Jim and April will save me from yours and Bones' clutches," Sky grumped. "I _need_ a steak."

"You don't _need_ a steak," Natasha mocked her, turning with a dull gray tray and a plate of mush. "You _need_ nutrients and vitamins - _then_, after you've had about two weeks of this 'mush', you _might_ be able to have a steak."

Sky groaned. This was going to be a _long_ two weeks.


	8. Slinking from the Shadows

**A/N:**** Ok, so, I didn't go so long in updating. And I apologize for...yet another cliffhanger. *Awesome Shatner pause* I believe that this arc of the story is coming to an end - possibly after the next chapter, or the one after that.**

**Please Review!**

**-Chapter 7-**

_Stardate: 2258.51_

Sky's recovery was slow, but eventually over five days' time, she was able to sit up and walk around (with the hawk-like eyes of McCoy or Natasha watching her at all times so she wouldn't hurt herself), and _thankfully_ have a shower.

The steam layered the mirror of the small bathroom, and the shower's temperature was set as hot as the human could stand it. If 'as hot as she could stand it' made her skin turn tomato-red, then it was perfect in her opinion.

Sky sighed as she scrubbed her short hair with lavender-scented shampoo. She'd had Natasha cut it to her shoulders for the sake of convenience, and Jim had affectionately ruffled her long bangs with a grin and a compliment on 'how cute it made her'. Even despite the compliment, however, Sky had noticed how April and Jim both had always come to visit her, never there being one without the other. She'd also noticed the discreet way he'd release her hand upon entering Sky's recovery room.

Natasha and McCoy, however, were a different matter entirely. Rarely was it that they came into the room together, and Sky could feel the tension between them. She was basically waiting for them to pounce on each other, but from what Natasha informed her, they were just 'friends with different points of views on things'. Sky had snorted as a reply.

It was midday, and the sunshine from the bathroom's window shone through the glass shower door with a white glow.

There wasn't a single indication of the incision directly under left collarbone, but the feeling was still there. Sky ran the pads of her fingers over the invisible scar, only remembering the dizziness, the trouble breathing, and the pain. The ghost was there, but she wasn't haunted by it like she thought she would be. In fact, she felt better than she had in days.

She figured she should thank Spock Prime for that.

Having finished cleansing herself, Sky turned the knob to the right and cut off the flow of hot water. She twisted her hair with both hands and the water dripped into the drain. She shook herself slightly and stepped out of the shower onto the rug and pulling the towel from the rack and drying herself with it. Natasha had given her a pair of hospital-issue sweats to wear, since she didn't really like the gowns. They had no resistance to the chilliness of the rooms at all.

Stopping in front of the fog-covered mirror, Sky observed the hazy silhouette. She lifted a hand and wiped a wide streak over the place where her face was. The image was still slightly blurry, due to the condensation, but it was clearer than the silhouette. Her ice-blue eyes stared back at her, twinkling with the sunlight. Her hair was plastered over her head and her bangs were uneven, upon which she reached up and ran her fingers through the wet locks to try and make sense of the tangled mess.

Sky wrapped the towel around her hair and laid the twisted cloth on her left shoulder before unlocking the bathroom door and exiting. She was greeted with loud bickering from her two medics.

"And you did _what?_" McCoy demanded Natasha, throwing a hand out with his palm open to the ceiling. "Natasha, you're just plum ridiculous sometimes!"

"_I'm__'__plum ridiculous?'_ You're the one who-"

Sky cleared her throat quietly and gave the two Medical personnel a scolding look. "You two should just start dating already," she commented, moving towards the desk in the corner of the room that her personal PADD was placed upon.

McCoy sputtered and Natasha huffed, crossing her arms, both of them looking away from each other. Sky smirked slightly and lifted the PADD before making her way to the bed. The two medics moved away to opposite sides of the room and began checking over machinery, even though there wasn't much to be found. Sky had been taken off life-support the day after her surgery, and the vital consoles were the only things that remained, other than the food replicator.

Sky plopped herself down on her bed and curled her legs up at her side so she could lie on her side but not be prone to sleep. She unlocked the PADD and checked her inbox to see if she had any reports to fill out. There were none.

This caused her eyebrows to furrow slightly. That was strange. Normally she'd have reports filled to the brim that she could hardly finish, and now that she was Chief Assistance Science Officer, she figured that she'd at least have a few more reports than the usual to fill out.

"Hey, Nat? Have you heard from Spock recently?" she inquired her friend.

"Which one?" Natasha asked sardonically.

Sky gave her a dubious look. "The younger one."

"Ah. Yeah - well, no. Not since the other night."

Sky hummed in response. _'__Looks like _someone's_letting me off.'_

* * *

Spock was in his Academy classroom, having taken over the class he'd taught before the Nero incident: Computer Physics. The seats in front of him were empty, and he did not mind the near silence. Vulcans were naturally quiet creatures. The only other audible noises were birds singing in the tree directly outside the western glass barrier between the room and the outside. He was going over some of his student's assignments, head tilted slightly and face relaxed more so than usual.

The midday sun made the room slightly warmer, even with the ventilation systems, but he didn't mind that, either. It made him feel slightly more at home, however illogical the feeling was. Ever since his home planet had been destroyed, he'd taken every precaution to take care of the few Vulcan-originated belongings he had in his large apartment. But, like its owner's split DNA, it also had some Terran qualities here and there.

Taking a noticing glance to the clock mounted on the northern wall, he halted his analysis on the student's assignment and stood, placing the PADD in the satchel he carried. Fixing his hat atop his head once again, he walked out of the classroom and down the hallway towards the stairwell. His classroom was three stories up and he descended the stairs with ease before his communicator chirped for his attention in the front pocket of his satchel.

He halted his long strides in the lobby and retrieved the device from the satchel. The lid automatically snapped upward when he applied slight pressure to the side finger-bioscanner. A message was displayed across the screen, and his lips twitched slightly.

_'__You know, I can do my own reports. Just thought I'd let you know.'_

He tucked the communicator back into the pocket and continued his way out of the Academy's main building, towards the highway. He easily hailed a cab and shut the door before setting his satchel beside him.

"Where to, fella?" inquired the cabby.

"Fifth Street Memorial Hospital," Spock supplied.

"Why ya headed there?"

Spock's eyebrow twitched undetectably. "A colleague of mine has been injured recently."

Something about his man didn't seem right. His Vulcan instincts were slightly irked by the male's presence, though he did not know why.

"Ah, I see. Was she a victim of the explosion?"

Spock hesitated before replying. "Affirmative."

They drove in silence for a few minutes, and the half-Vulcan kept a wary eye on the driver. His communicator went off again and he fetched it out of his satchel. It was from Jim.

_'__We got a lead on the bomber. Video footage of him was shot by one of the street cameras that wasn't destroyed in the blast. He's a brunette with green eyes, fourty-ish or fifty-ish and rugged looking. He escaped the scene by taxi.'_

Spock felt his body chill. The man in the driver's seat was brunette and quite rugged looking with an approximate age of forty-eight.

_'__Affirmative, Captain. Do not panic, but I believe that he is driving me to Sky's hospital.'_

It wasn't even two moments after he sent the message that Jim replied.

_'__What?! You're telling me not to panic?! You're in the same car as a mass murderer!'_

_'__Captain, I cannot let him escape again. I shall endeavor to capture him as best I can.'_

He closed the communicator again and placed it back in the satchel before looking out the window. His eyes narrowed slightly when he realized that this was not the correct street to the hospital.

"I believe you have miscalculated your trajectory to the hospital," Spock stated, addressing the driver.

"Oi, I know where I'm goin'."

Spock's face remained impassive, but on the inside he felt a growing sense of dread and anger. This man - this _murderer_ - _must_ be stopped at _all costs_.

* * *

Jim was officially panicking. The message he'd received from Spock almost pitched him into a full on anxiety attack. Spock was riding with the bomber and he was acting so_calm _about it!

He was running from Starfleet HQ after the meeting where they got the lead - and now Spock was in the middle of all of it. He'd reported the message he'd received from Spock to the Council and they were initiating a city-wide search for the half-Vulcan's life readings. Wherever he was, the bomber was most likely with him. Knowing Spock, Jim knew he'd play for time as much as he was able.

Jim was positive that he knew why the bomber had captured Spock. The half-Vulcan had visited Sky frequently throughout the course of the previous five days, so _logically_ (he almost flinched at the use of the word), he, the bomber, thought the Commander was in close relations with her.

He whipped out his communicator while sprinting towards an available taxi, dialing in McCoy's frequency.

_"__What, Jim? I'm busy-"_

"Spock's been captured by the bomber!" he interrupted loudly, slamming the door to the taxi shut and ordering the cabby to take him to the hospital as fast as possible.

_"__What?"_ McCoy demanded. _"__How the hell did he-"_

Jim cut him off once again. "He must think that Spock's close to Sky; there's no other alternative."

_"__Do you know where he is?"_ Natasha's voice came over the speaker. The cabby rounded a corner.

"No, but HQ's got a city-wide search going. I'm meeting up with you at the hospital. I think that if the bomber kills Spock, which I don't think is possible, he'll come after Sky."

"Stop here!" Jim ordered the driver, before practically throwing himself out of the cab and closing his communicator in a whiplash. He rushed into the building and got to the appropriate floor, before running down the hall. He saw the two medics standing outside Sky's room, troubled faces and all.

"Jim!" McCoy exclaimed. They both turned to the starship Captain as he panted for breath.

"Does Sky know?" Jim asked breathily.

"No," Natasha said. "We weren't in there when you called."

"Good. I don't think it's wise to get her riled up."

"Dammit, Spock," McCoy muttered. "How do you always manage to get into these situations?"

"What situations?"

They all turned to see Sky, sipping on a bottle of water.

"What," McCoy sputtered. "How did you - get out of your room?"

Sky shrugged. "Electronic locks are fairly easy to pick. What situations?"

The three exchanged glances nervously.

"Guys…"

"I've got good news and bad news," Jim said cautiously. He really didn't want to worry Sky, but he was worried himself, so it didn't aid him at all.

"And that is…?"

"We've got a lead on the bomber."

Sky nodded. "Okay. The bad news?"

Jim didn't respond right away, but when Sky gave him a look he reconsidered. "The bad news….he's got Spock."


	9. Tuck-and-Roll

**A/N:**** Last time, on Star Trek: Hidden Pasts...lol no. Here's the new chapter, in case it wasn't obvious enough. :3 My mom helped me again on this one, 'cause she gave me an _excellent_ idea for it and I couldn't refuse. Sorry, this one is a wee bit shorter than usual.**

**Please Review!**

**-Chapter 8-**

Spock found himself growing increasingly restless. His surroundings were becoming more unfamiliar by the minute, and the cabby still would not speak. He had to play for time, he knew - otherwise there was the distinct possibility he'd allow the murderer to escape.

Or worse: allow him to escape after Spock had been dealt with.

The evening sun was slipping beneath the horizon and the half-Vulcan suddenly wished he'd taken up Admiral Pike's offer for a personal phaser. Pacifist though he was, Spock felt that this situation would've been settled sooner if he'd had one available. One thing he knew for sure, however, was that Kirk would report Spock's last message to the Council, who in turn would initiate a city-wide search for his specific bio-readings.

For once, Spock felt the needle of dread start to worm its way into his emotional boundaries. The cabbie was very dangerous - and by what he had proven - very lethal.

The cab pulled into a narrow valley in between two old buildings and pulled to a stop. The driver exited the vehicle, walked around the body of the cab and opened Spock's door. He held an old-fashioned gun in his hand. Spock observed it and recognized it as a Colt M1911 pistol. It was, obviously, an antique. But the fact that it was an antique didn't inhibit its ability to severely injure a person; and kill, if used properly.

"Outta the car," the driver ordered curtly, and Spock stared evenly into the menacing green eyes. "Slow and easy; hands on your head."

"Why would I perform such an act?" Spock inquired calmly.

"You get smart with me," the cabby warned, "I shoot you in the shoulder for reasoning."

Spock did not move for a few long moments, but then slowly raised his hands and slipped from his seat onto the crumbling pavement. The driver slammed the door shut and waved the pistol at him. "On your knees."

"I do not see the-"

"On your knees!"

Spock did not move.

"Oi, I've heard Vulcans are stubborn, but this is just ridiculous," the driver muttered. "Get on your knees, now!"

Spock still needed time. Kirk still needed time. Time was needed, so time he would get.

"I am slightly curious as to how you accomplished such a feat in the events of five days ago," Spock averred. "You must be an intellectual genius to be able to construct such a device to decimate the third floor of the dorm building."

The male human's stance relaxed slightly at the half-Vulcan's attempt at flattery. "I used to be an engineer, for you information," he said hotly.

"I assumed correctly then," Spock nodded. "Tell me, what lead you to construct such a device?"

The man's face remained hard. "Why don't you tell me, Vulcan? Such brilliant minds as ours have to be entertained, don't you agree?"

Spock wondered how long it took Starfleet HQ to track the city's only half-Vulcan's bio-readings. "I believe I understand, though not in the sense that you most likely comprehend. We are different species, with differently constructed mind processes, after all."

The man's eye twitched. "You're stallin'. Get on your knees now, or you won't have any knees to kneel on."

Suddenly the sound of a hovercraft's engines at top speed distracted both captor and hostage. A police patrol whipped by the alley with lights flashing and alarms blaring. Spock's gaze did not leave the man, while he, the cabby, furrowed his brows in contemplation.

After the blaring drifted away and the alley once again fell silent, the human glanced back to Spock. He jerked his pistol motioning to his left and growled at the half-Vulcan. "Get movin'."

Spock ambled towards the door the cabby indicated and felt cold metal brush against the back of his neck directly under his hairline. They reached the metal door and the cabbie ground the pistol against his neck with more force, almost causing him to grimace. "Open the door," he ordered.

Spock lowered one hand and twisted the knob, slowly pushing the door in. Shoved inside, the Commander stumbled into what appeared to be the lobby of the building. It had obviously been an inn of some type at one time.

The cabby glanced into the alley and closed the door. They faced each other across the room. "I must admit that I am curious as to why you have captured me, since it seems your first target was obviously Lieutenant Commander Lorion. You clearly hold some negative emotions toward me, yet I can find neither a logical reason nor any evidence of our having met before. Therefore, I must conclude that you are operating illogically, as humans often do."

"Stop your blatherin'," the man snapped, brandishing his gun in the most confident manner. "I've seen you going in-'n-out of the hospital she's in. You're obviously connected to her somehow." He glanced around and spotted a supplies closet and side-walked over to it. He opened the door and glanced inside, seeing what he wanted and retrieving it with no problem.

"Sit down in that chair," he ordered, gesturing towards the table set in the side of the room. One of the chairs was falling apart while the other was fairly sturdy. Spock obeyed but was finished in his deductions.

"Obviously you hold me responsible for something of which I am unaware," the Commander stated while the driver moved behind him to jerk his wrists down and begin to roughly tie the rope around his wrists.

"I thought Vulcans were supposed to be taciturn," muttered the man as he tightened and tied of the knot. Spock resisted the urge to wince as the rope cut into his skin. Contemplating, he realized that he, as Kirk would put it, was getting under the man's skin. He was causing the cabbie to become disgruntled and sloppy. So he endeavored to continue to needle the man.

"I was not aware that you would know the definition of such a term."

The cabby's glare burned into the back of his head. "Shut up!"

The human's mind was reeling. She'd survived the explosion and now this _thing_ was visiting her as often as a moth to flame in a New Moon night. His plan was falling apart by the second - the police was searching for him. And now he had an idiot green goblin with which to contend.

In a split second decision he raised the gun above his head and brought the butt down directly onto Spock's cranium. The half-Vulcan went limp in the chair.

* * *

The cabby sprinted back to his vehicle and gunned the engines until they screamed. He had to get out of there, quick - he had to finish his job. He'd wasted too much time with the Commander, now he was paying the price for his game of cat and mouse.

He drove down the road and felt himself start to sweat. The hospital was only a few miles away, on the shortest route. The patrol car wouldn't find the Vulcan for a while - he hoped they wouldn't find him at all. Pretty soon other hover-cars were crowded around his, and he was getting impatient. Finally giving up on the traffic, he popped open his door and grabbed his pistol on the way out, shoving it into his trousers behind his jacket so no one would see it.

He speed-walked down the street and was soon at the hospital entrance. He entered through the sliding doors and warily looked around. Doctors, nurses, and aids were buzzing about, not paying attention to him. Good.

He discretely followed one of the surgical aids into an unoccupied room and swiftly slammed his head into the wall dropping him. He pulled on the downed man's uniform. He waited at the door to see if he had attracted attention. When he didn't hear an outcry, he picked up the aid's PADD and slipped into the hall traffic to make his way to the second floor where Sky awaited him.

He'd have to find a place to lay low until the shift change occurred and the night crew came on. It was quieter and less traffic during the night hours. It was a good chance to catch her unguarded. While he waited, he'd find her computer file and find out what meds she was taking. Maybe he could poison her. It was a coward's way to kill, but it would allow him to get away undetected. Then maybe he could get back to the Vulcan and off him, as he had seen his face.

He lingered around for a while, until nightshift crawled around. It wasn't that long of a wait, since it had been early evening when he'd arrived. Finally, he located Sky's room and he waited until the hall was clear before drifting towards the door. The cold metal of his gun remained hidden at his hip, ready for use. He typed in the code-lock beside her door and it slid open. He entered quietly, hearing the shower running. He spotted the food replicator, but decided against hacking into it.

He went around the room, pretending to actually be checking on system functions until the shower cut off and the young woman came out of the bathroom, clothed in new sweats. He had his back facing toward her, but she still did not expect someone to be in the room.

She let out a startled noise and he turned to her, eyes glinting. After a moment, her eyes widened with recognition and she stepped back.

"Daniel," she whispered hoarsely.

"Hey, squirt." He grinned maliciously. "Long time, no see."

"What are you doing here?" she demanded hotly, her stance becoming tense like a rabbit waiting to flee. "Where's Spock?"

"That Vulcan is…subdued."

"What did you do to him?" she practically yelled, clenching her fists so tight her knuckles turned white.

"Ever heard of a quick-draw?"

Her face paled and he grabbed his gun from his trousers and aimed it at her.

"Looks like I'm going to get to finish what I started after all." He smiled psychotically, green eyes glinting dangerously.

Sky's eyes widened even more.

"Hey, Sky, I was just wondering if…" Jim halted in the doorway and the cab driver whipped his head to stare at him.

"Hey!" Jim shouted as the man sprinted for the window. He leaped and the sound of glass shattering filled the room as he dove into midair. The driver landed on his feet and grunted when his ankle twisted sharply, but took off down the street despite the pain.

Jim, being the foolish hero he was, leaped after him and tuck-and-rolled onto the cement.

"Jim!" Sky hollered after him, leaning out of the shattered window and watching as the two men disappeared into the gathering darkness. "Dammit - Jim!" Leave it to Jim Kirk to take off after a known killer hell-bent-for-leather, by himself, and unprepared.

McCoy, Natasha, and April barged into the room. "I heard glass breaking," McCoy stated, taking in the scene. "What the hell happened?"

Sky took in a shaky breath. "He - he was here."

"Who was here, Sky?" demanded Natasha.

She turned to them with a deep grimace. "The bomber. And…I know who he is, now."

* * *

Jim was breathing heavily, but forced his legs to keep going. The man was only five yards ahead of him, still running strong despite his age and obvious limp. Jim wished he had his phaser on him, but he'd left it at Starfleet HQ.

"Dammit," he muttered as the driver skidded around a corner. He followed, but came to an abrupt halt when he turned into an alley. The alley was dark and filled with the stench of trash. And unfortunately, silent.

"Dammit!" he repeated frustratingly, kicking a nearby brick wall. "Lost him again!"


	10. Alive and Kicking

**A/N:**** Okay, here's the next chapter. I'm repeating myself. I apologize. *sighs* I'm really tired since I just got back from a mini-vacation.**

**Please Review.**

**-****Chapter 9-**

Once Jim caught his breath, he informed Starfleet Command what had happened and then returned to the hospital. He found Bones, Natasha, Sky, and April seated in the recovery lounge, empty of others because of the late hours. There he dutifully listened while McCoy, secretly relieved his friend hadn't been injured, fumed at him for jumping from the second story window.

"So," Natasha said, drawing everyone's attention to herself, "Sky, you said you knew who the bomber is."

Four pairs of eyes turned to her and Sky swallowed down her nerves. "Yes. At first, I suspected who it was, but now since I've seen his face, I know for sure who it is. His name is Daniel Richard, my god-father."

Surprise crossed their faces while Sky continued. "He was my father's best friend. They met while they were in Starfleet Academy and shared a dorm room. He specialized in engineering, but always wanted command of a starship, for his own personal reasons. When Dad got the _U.S.S. Expedition_, you can guess how he felt about that. Dad assigned him as his Chief Engineer, but it wasn't enough. Then Dad met Mom when she was assigned to the _Expedition_ and he started to drift from Daniel's company. Daniel became more and more unhappy and disgruntled. I never got to meet him because he resigned from Starfleet. The only things I know about him are from Dad's stories all about him and their crazy adventures at Academy. Dad never seemed to have a problem with Daniel despite the anger Daniel felt towards him.

"Shortly after, the _Expedition_ was destroyed by Klingons - you know the story. People began to speculate that Daniel had tipped off the Klingons on the mission that led to the crew's murder, and the starship's destruction. But, Daniel Richard was nowhere to be found. He'd gone into hiding. The whereabouts of the Klingon ship were unknown as well, so that didn't aid anything. Eventually, Starfleet was forced to close the case with many questions unanswered.

"I saw a few pictures of him from Dad's files. I knew his face. Whenever the incident at the Dorm Rooms happened, at first I didn't have a clue who had done it. Didn't even know the explosion was directed at me. After reviewing the different things, I came to a conclusion. It was a shaky one, but it was something. Then, the whole surgery thing happened, the mind-meld with Spock Prime, and the few days of silence kind of eased the worry I had. But when you told me about Spock's last message, I knew he wasn't done. Then, he showed up here and tried to kill me again.

"And I can tell you now that he's not going to rest until he's fulfilled what he set out to do."

Jim's brows furrowed. "And what, exactly, is he trying to do?"

Sky heaved a sigh. "Jealousy often leads to insanity, and given what he's done so far, I can only say that he's trying to end the Lorion-Starfleet relations."

The room was silent as they digested the new information. Spock was in danger, wherever he was, but Sky needed protection as well.

"Well, this is all just damn fine jumble of knots," McCoy stated, "but I'm getting tired of waiting around to make a move. We need to find Spock - as much as I hate to admit - and we need to stick this guy's crazy ass in jail before he hurts anyone else."

They solemnly nodded in agreement. "Starfleet's working around the clock looking for this guy," Jim said. "And they've narrowed down Spock's location to the abandoned section of Old San Fran."

"'Narrowed down', but not pinpointed," April murmured. "He could be wounded - or worse."

* * *

Sky heaved a sigh, scanning over the latest report on the search for Spock's location. She had to commend the Starfleet HQ personnel for their efficient skills; they'd already searched more than half of the city in only five hours. But, the search proved to be fruitless so far.

Now that they had the information on whom the bomber was, HQ was also searching for his bio-readings on the city and the surrounding areas. However, it did nothing to ease Sky's worry. Not knowing where he was - and where Spock was - made her feel helpless. Jim had left bound for HQ to analyze everything they had so far, April had gone back to her dorm, and Natasha and McCoy were busy elsewhere.

Sky wondered why Daniel had gone after Spock, out of all people. The half-Vulcan wasn't of any significance, or at least to Daniel, she figured.

She sighed again and pinched the bridge of her nose before standing and heading over to her bed. The lights to her room were off, but the moonlight shining from the window offered a favorable compromise. Sky tugged back the crisp sheets to her bed and settled herself under them, leaving them to rest over her legs and abdomen. She stared up at the ceiling, wondering.

She was worried about Spock, and if he was injured or not. If he was, she could only hope that it wasn't too serious. And if he was, heaven forbid, fatally wounded, she would do everything in her power to bring the god-forsaken terrorist to justice.

* * *

Unknowing that he was currently the topic of thought, Spock groggily came to. The dazed Vulcan struggled to think through the excruciating pain emanating from the lump he could feel on the back of his head. He kept his head hanging down in case the cabbie was still in the room. He didn't want the man to know he had regained consciousness. Because of the fogginess in his brain from the injury, it took Spock longer than it normally would to ascertain that he was indeed alone in the dusty room. Alone, but still tied.

Taking a deep breath, Spock focused his energy on his bound wrists, slowly beginning to force his wrists apart. The rough rope cut into his skin, burning, but Spock didn't let up pressure in spite of the pain. By the time the ropes snapped, Spock could feel his hand coated with warm blood. Spock stiffly removed his uniform shirt and then his undershirt so he could use the undershirt to clean his hands as best he could. He then gingerly touched the bump on his head. It had bled, but now it was congealed.

He sat still through the pain caused from his movements and gathered himself again. Sky was in danger. He pulled his tunic back on and stood and immediately had to catch himself by the chair to keep from falling on his face. He was dizzier than he realized.

After a few moments, he released his grip on the chair and walked on shaky legs towards the door. He fumbled with the knob whilst leaning his shoulder against the door, not pleased with his lack of strength at all. The door swung open and he stumbled onto the pavement on his hands and knees, effectively scraping them and making them sting. For a moment he waited, breathing deeply to try and vent the dull pain pounding in his skull.

He lifted his face and glanced around the dim alley. It was early morning, he presumed, since the sky was a dark lavender color. He spotted an object laying a few feet away and he heaved himself to his feet before kneeling beside the object. His satchel, obviously forgotten, lay unharmed. He fished his communicator out of the front pocket and groggily flicked it open. "Spock to Captain Kirk." His voice was hoarse and his throat was dry and scratchy.

_"__Spock?"_ Kirk's disbelieving but relieved voice came across the small speaker. _"__You're all right! Where are you?"_

Spock, given that he had used all of his available strength to simply move, felt himself start to black out. "I am…slightly injured, Captain, and I am…unaware of my location."

_"__Don't - don't worry, Spock; Starfleet's tracking your signal now. How are you injured?"_

"I would…surmise a possible concussion; however…I am a scientist, not a doctor."

_"__Hang on, Spock, we're coming. Just hang on…"_

Those words were the last that Spock heard before he fell unconscious onto the ground.

* * *

Sky was awoken by someone shaking her shoulders and calling her name.

"Sky, wake up - they found Spock."

Sky's eyes snapped open and she saw April leaning over her. "Really?" she asked, sitting up and going to push herself off the bed. She would've guessed it'd only been around six hours, give or take the amount of sunlight filtering through the windows - or the lack thereof. "Where is he? How is he?"

"Answers: yes, the next floor up, and I don't know."

Sky gave her a dubious look and hurried out the door to the next floor up, April trailing behind her. When the elevator doors opened Sky immediately saw McCoy and Jim in the hall, talking.

"Hey," Sky greeted briefly. "How is he?"

Both men turned to them. "Well," McCoy drawled, "he's got a nasty goose egg on the back of his head that gave him a concussion, and his wrists are cut up pretty badly along with some minor scrapes one his palms, but other than that I think he's fine."

Sky breathed in a sigh of relief. He was all right. "Is he conscious?"

"No." Jim answered this time. "I went with an armed patrol to his location and he was unconscious when we found him. Still is. Natasha's with him."

Sky nodded and entered the room while April and the two men remained outside. Sure enough, Natasha was standing before Spock's vital monitor, taking down notes on his heart rate and blood pressure.

"…blood pressure practically nonexistent," she muttered, turning to exit the room.

"Morning, Nat," Sky smiled softly.

The nurse looked up to her surprised. "Oh - morning, Sky." She grinned faintly. "No major things to worry about, other than a concussion; though I can't really tell since I'm not an expert on Vulcan physiology." This time she did smile. "I think that would be M'Benga down at HQ."

Sky chuckled and looked to Spock's unconscious form. "I heard that McCoy _really_ wants him on the _Enterprise_."

Natasha nodded. "It would be a big help, given that we've got the only Vulcan Science Officer in the 'Fleet onboard; plus he's an excellent doctor, period."

Spock was solitarily laying on the biobed, arms straight and face relaxed. Given how much he held an impassive expression, it was slightly refreshing to see a normal, almost human look on his face. His wrists looked a lot better than Sky had thought they would be, there only being faint lighter strips of smooth skin in certain places. The 'goose egg', as McCoy had called it, was hidden by the pillow that his head rested on (though Sky figured it would've been healed by McCoy upon Spock's arrival.

"You were really worried about him, weren't you?" Natasha inquired softly, gaging Sky's relieved demeanor.

"Yeah. I guess I was," Sky supposed quietly, just above a whisper. "I was afraid of what Daniel would do to him. What he could've done to him. I'm just thankful it wasn't anything more serious than this."

Just then Spock's eyelids fluttered slightly in a sign of waking. Natasha's eyes brightened and she exited the room to fetch the others. Sky moved to Spock's bedside and smiled down at him just as his eyes opened. He glanced blearily around before focusing on Sky and returning his face to the normal stoic mask he wore.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," she said softly.

Spock arched an eyebrow slightly. "I am not aware of the underlying meaning to that statement," he said, his voice surprisingly hoarse.

Sky's face relaxed and the door behind them opened. The small group filed in and McCoy began to check the half-Vulcan's vitals himself.

"Well, Jim, he's healthy as a horse considering what he's been through," he drawled, crossing his arms.

Spock's face blanked. "A Terran equine creature has no relation to Vulcans, Doctor McCoy."

The humans chuckled and Jim stepped forward to Spock's other side. "It's an Earth saying, Mr. Spock," he said brightly. "How are you feeling?"

"I am in an adequate condition, Captain," he responded monotonously.

Jim smiled and shook his head slightly.

"I think that's the best answer you're going to get out of him, Jim," April said with a beautiful smile.

"So," Natasha stated. "What I'm wondering is how you managed to get away from that maniac."

The others looked to Spock expectantly, also curious as to the events that occurred after his last message to Jim.

"I did not escape from the taxi driver," Spock began. "When I recovered consciousness he was not there. I unbound myself-"

"Thus explaining the lacerations on your wrists," McCoy interrupted.

"-and," Spock continued as if the doctor had not interjected, "recovered my communicator from my satchel, which the augment illogically left behind."

"That doesn't explain how you got that concussion," April said.

"He, I believe you humans refer to the action as, 'pistol-whipped' my cranium, thus rendering me unconscious."

"He did that in public?" wondered Natasha out loud.

"Negative - I was not aware of what is appearance was; I entered his cab quite voluntarily until Captain Kirk informed me of his countenance. I then came to the conclusion that I should detain him; if I was not able to perform that action, as should curtail his movements and allow Starfleet to narrow down his location, given that he did not choose to dispose of me."

"But he could have," pointed out Sky worriedly. "What did you say that kept him from killing you?"

"I merely…conversed."

It was the humans' faces' turns to blank. "You conversed with a psychopath?" McCoy asked incredulously. "What, did you stroke his intellect?"

"A correct assumption, although I would not quite word it in that way," Spock answered.

The doctor sputtered for a moment while Jim blinked. "So you flattered him to keep him from killing you and to buy time?" The Starfleet Captain smiled. "I think I am rubbing off on you, Mr. Spock."

Spock's lips pursed slightly and his eyes almost gained an exasperated look. "I would hope not, Captain."

The others chuckled, relieved that their colleague was back and still kicking.


	11. Of Cafés and Chicken Salads

**A/N:****WARNING: Major bomb-drop in this chapter. xP But it's not like we all didn't see it coming, anyway.**

**Please Review!**

**-Chapter 10-**

It had been a peaceful morning - the morning after Spock had been brought to the hospital. Sky was visiting Spock while Natasha went over the system functions and gave Spock his breakfast before leaving to check on a few other patients. He'd gotten a lot better over a good night's rest and was back to his normal self, despite the minor bump still melded to the back of his head.

"I never did like that stuff," Sky said, her nose scrunching up as Spock consumed the plate of mush in his lap as she sat in a chair near his bed. "It always reminds me of the cafeteria food back at the public school I used to go to."

Spock glanced up at her with an arched eyebrow. "It is necessary for nourishment and an acceptable recovery."

Sky snorted softly. "Go ahead and tell me it doesn't taste bad while you're at it."

"Whether it tastes adequately or not does not matter. It is simply necessary."

Sky rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Mm-hmm. I think you'd eat whatever was stuck under your nose. Except meat, of course, since you're vegetarian. But, other than that, you'd eat anything."

"You are correct about my preferred food form," he affirmed nonchalantly.

Sky smirked slightly. "Though I wouldn't guess you favorite dishes?"

Spock's face blanked. "It is illogical to have preferences over different forms of sustenance."

Just then the room door swished open and Nyota barged in, still dressed in her Starfleet-issued uniform that the personnel at the Communications station wore. The station orbited Earth, and Nyota had obviously only recently received word of Spock's condition.

"Spock!" she gasped, walking quickly over with a relieved look on her face. She swiftly leaned down and pressed her lips to his and Sky glanced away awkwardly.

"I received word last night," she murmured to him. "It wasn't able to come until this morning."

Sky bit her bottom lip and stood. "I've, uh, got to go."

She sped-walked out of the room, leaving the two Officers alone to themselves, feeling Spock's gaze burn her back as she left.

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Nyota asked Spock, taking up Sky's chair and scooting it closer to his bed.

"I am adequate," Spock stated. "Doctor McCoy is an acceptable physician."

Nyota smiled at him and grasped his free hand with hers. "I'm glad - when I first heard what happened I almost had a heart-attack."

Spock's brows furrowed slightly and a concerned look crossed his eyes. "Nyota, if you are experiencing medical problems, you must-"

The linguist laughed smoothly and smiled brightly at him. "It's an expression, Spock."

Spock was stricken silent by her smile, and she leaned over to kiss him again. Nyota brought a sense of emotional turmoil within him, but he tolerated it for her. She loved him, he knew, and he felt he loved her as well. But he wondered back to the way his mother had described love to him as a small child.

_"__Well, love is like…" Amanda trailed off, thinking on how she should explain it to her seven year-old son, who was staring up at her with curious brown eyes. She was sitting on the Terran-style couch which she'd harassed Sarek into buying from a trader in port at Vulcan, and Spock was standing stiff-backed in front of her, his small hands clasped behind his back and his face impassive._

_"__Love is like flying," she started with a tender smile, gazing out the window as the binary stars began to disappear slowly below the horizon. The mountains in the distance reached towards the two brightly-shining balls of gas, which glowed with bright orange and yellow colors. "It's like having butterflies fluttering in your stomach and having a sun burning in your heart, warming your whole body. When they look at you, it feels like you'll catch on fire any second, and when they smile at you - however small - it would feel as if your heart would soar, or when they'd laugh you'd have been kissed by the sun."_

_Spock contemplated this for a few long moments, brows scrunching slightly in concentration. Amanda smiled softly at him. However Vulcan he was, he was more adorable than any child she'd ever seen._

_"__That is most illogical," he finally said, lips pursed faintly. "Insects are not able to inhabit a vital organ of any humanoid species, just as it is not possible to have a sun in a humanoid's heart."_

_Soft laughter filled Amanda's throat. After a few moments she stared lovingly down at her son, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Spock, one day you'll find someone - someone you really, really enjoy being around, and you'll feel the same way I'm describing. Trust me when I say this; love may be considered illogical, but it can heal more than medicine ever can."_

That's how his mother had described it: '"Like having butterflies fluttering in your stomach and a sun burning in your heart."' So why did Spock not feel it as Amanda had told him it was like? Had she been simply exaggerating? Perhaps she had been teasing him?

"Are you all right?" Nyota's soft voice whispered near his ear. Spock realized he'd been staring at the door where Sky had disappeared for two-point-twenty-four seconds.

"I am…adequate," he replied, meeting her gaze unwaveringly. She smiled softly at him in response.

Again, he wondered why his heart did not 'soar', or 'feel as though he'd been kissed by the sun'.

* * *

Sky heaved a sigh when the door shut behind her, and leaned against the wall. Her face burned but she didn't know why.

"I heard Nyota came in at Warp Nine," Natasha said, walking up to her with an amused grin.

Sky nodded silently, staring blankly at the wall. Natasha's smile fell and she tilted her head slightly. "Sky? What's wrong?"

"It's-" Sky cut herself off and sighed again. "It's fine. I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." Natasha's voice was concerned and Sky look over to her, seeing the nurse's face contorted with worry. Sky pushed herself from the wall and forced a smile, shrugging her shoulders to try and ease the nurse's unease. "I promise, I'm fine," Sky told her.

Natasha pursed her lips before sighing and giving up the trail. "Alright, alright, I believe you." Her expression brightened slightly and she jerked a thumb over her shoulder excitedly. "I got word from Bones that he thought it was alright for you to eat 'real food'."

Sky's eyes brightened exponentially.

"But you're still not cleared for steak _or_ baked potatoes _or_ A1."

"But-" Sky protested; Natasha smirked slightly, adding, "Doctor's orders."

Sky scowled at her as the nurse led her towards the elevator. "You are cruel - you know that?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Natasha smirked wider as the elevator doors closed behind them.

* * *

The Fifth Street Café was normally very busy around noon, and today was no exception. People buzzed in and out of the door, fluttering around inside and outside the small building. Sky and Natasha had taken to going there often during their Academy days, either going for a mildly quiet place to study in the evenings or a good breakfast in the mornings. Since it was located only a few blocks down from the hospital, Natasha elected to walk Sky there after getting her a change of clothes. Earlier that morning, Jim had visited Sky and loaned her his phaser for self-defense, just in case.

The street was bustling, as per the norms, but not near as busy as it was in the afternoon. Sky had changed into some of Natasha's old clothes that she'd stored in a facility at Starfleet HQ for safekeeping - light jeans and a gray t-shirt with a pair of spare sandals. Sky had pulled her hair up into a loose ponytail so her bangs wouldn't hang in her face.

"We're lucky that we caught the early crowd," Natasha commented as they walked through the entrance doors. "They get so busy these days, it's unbelievable."

Sky smiled softly in response. "Now you're starting to sound like Bones."

Natasha's lips quirked downward. "No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"Nope."

"Yep."

"Shut up," the nurse finally grumbled, to which Sky laughed.

They placed their orders and Sky went to find a suitable table. Her eyes scanned the few people in the room, sifting for any possible indications of Daniel. Seeing none, she finally settled into a table sitting beside a large window overlooking the street. The sun was climbing for the highest point in the sky, and Sky could scarcely see the bright blue atmosphere due to surrounding skyscrapers and swiftly-flying flitters.

"Just so you know, I have no idea why you keep teasing me about McCoy."

Natasha sat across from Sky and set their tray down between them. She'd berated the woman into getting a simple chicken salad, after two minutes of banter at the register, while the nurse herself settled for a ham sandwich.

Sky picked up her fork and speared a slice of chicken and a small bunch of Caesar-laced leaves and lifted it to her mouth. "I've no idea what you're talking about," she mumbled around the mouthful of food.

Natasha pursed her lips and gave her friend a dubious look. "You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about."

Sky's lips quirked upward and she swallowed down the food with a gulp of raspberry tea. "Okay, you caught me - but Jim and April agree with me."

"Agree on _what_, exactly?"

"Just the simple fact that you're an utterly perfect couple."

Natasha had been drinking from her glass and as soon as the words left Sky's lips the tea spewed from her mouth. "_What?_"

Sky shrugged innocently, grinning like a fox. "You heard me." She shoved another forkful of salad into her mouth and chuckled when she saw the nurse's horrified look.

"But-wha-how?" she sputtered, staring at her friend.

Again, Sky shrugged. "Well, you're both medics, you both go into a frenzy when us 'stupid officers' hurt ourselves, and you both get cranky pretty easily."

Natasha could only stare. Sky's face morphed into a wry expression. "You're going to catch a fly if you keep your mouth open like that, Nurse."

The chestnut-haired medic snapped her mouth closed with a click of her teeth, an irritated look turning her face into a scowl.

"See?" Sky inquired, smirking again, "easy to turn cranky."

"Shut up," Natasha repeated with a growl.

Sky smirked and their meal continued in companionable silence, until something occurred to Natasha.

"Why did you leave Spock's room in such a hurry?" she asked, holding her sandwich halfway to her mouth. Sky's hand stilled, leaving the salad dangling from the tip of her fork and she gained a blank look. "It's nothing," she mumbled, setting her fork down on the edge of her plate. She had lost her appetite.

Natasha's brows furrowed. "Sky - I know that look. What's wrong?"

Sky sighed and rubbed her face furiously with the tips of her fingers. "I_don't know_, Natasha!" she exclaimed, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "I don't know."

The nurse's expression morphed into one of concern. "Is it Spock?" she asked softly.

Sky lifted her gaze to stare at her. "What do you mean? No - it's not him."

"What is it, then?"

Sky gazed at the nurse for a few long moments before sighing again. "I don't know. It's just a jumble of emotions. I was fine until…"

Natasha's eyebrows rose. "Until…?"

Sky hesitated. "Until Nyota walked in."

The nurse's expression blanked for a moment before a delighted and slightly jovial look brightened her eyes. "I know exactly what it is!" she claimed happily, her lips breaking out into a smile.

Sky blinked at her bewilderedly and her friend started gesturing wildly with her free hand. "You _like_ Spock!"

Sky's cheeks turned a bright crimson in response. "N-no I don't," she stammered.

Natasha smiled brightly, eyes teasing. "How else do you explain that?" she asked. "April told me the same thing about Jim."

Sky's eyes narrowed slightly. "Wait, wait - April told you about her feelings for Jim?"

"Yes, but that's not the point!" Natasha gave her no room to argue. "You like Spock for crying out loud!"

Sky stared gape-mouthed at her for a moment before her face fell into a slightly sullen expression. "Maybe that's true - _maybe_ - but he's with Nyota. I can't intrude on their relationship."

Natasha's smile fell considerably with a replacement of disbelief. "You're not going to tell him?"

"No," Sky shook her head, "that would just ruin everything. I'm just barely starting to get into a friendship with him, Nat - he'll just consider me illogical and won't speak to me outside of duty. And I'm not even sure if it's that type of feeling, yet."

Natasha gave her a slightly sympathetic look. "Oh - you're right." She heaved a sigh and dropped her sandwich onto the plate. "I've lost my appetite," she mumbled.

Sky dropped her gaze to the table. "I have, too."


	12. Late-Night Chess Matches

**A/N:**** So, this chapter is mostly filler - which includes fluff, fluff, and more fluff. :3 Also, I am going on vacation this Friday so I will not be able to post for about four to five days, though I will certainly attempt to write a few chapters.**

**Please Review!**

**-Chapter 11-**

April sighed contentedly, leaning against Jim's side as they sat curled up on his couch. The late evening sun was hidden behind the thick beige curtains as night crawled downward in the sky. The sitting room of Jim's apartment was dim, with only the glaring light from his view-screen giving any sight to the two inhabitants. An old black-and-white movie was flashing across the screen - one of Jim's favorites that he'd picked out for their date night.

The Starfleet Captain had his arm thrown around April's shoulders, watching her out of the corner of his eye. Her eyes were glued to the screen as people fired old-fashioned guns at each other, shouting curses and profanities at their foes. His bright blue eyes reflected the artificial light glowing from the screen, highlighting his features.

April must've felt his gaze on her because she looked up to him with an expectant look, as if she expected him to say something. "What?"

Jim's lips quirked upward and she furrowed her brows. "Jim, seriously - what?"

"You're so beautiful," he murmured with a small smile, nuzzling her hair. A pretty pink blush rose to the scientist's cheeks and she shrugged away from him. His smirk widened and she blushed a bit darker.

"You act like it's not true," he said.

"It's just…" She trailed off for a moment, looking back to the movie. "No one's ever called me that before."

Jim's arm tightened around her and he pulled her a bit closer. "Well, finders' keepers - losers' weepers."

April rolled her eyes at him but snuggled into his side anyway. "You're ridiculous, you know that?"

Jim chuckled and ruffled her hair with one hand, resulting in her swatting him away with an amused smile.

* * *

_"__It's not your eyes;_

_It's not what you say;_

_It's not your laughter_

_That gives you away._

_You're just lonely;_

_You've been lonely, too long._

_Oh, you're acting your thin disguise;_

_All your perfectly delivered lines;_

_They don't fool me,_

_You've been lonely, too long_

_Let me in the wall_

_You've built around;_

_We can light a match_

_And burn it down._

_Let me hold your hand,_

_And dance 'round and 'round the flames_

_In front of us:_

_Dust to dust…"_

The old music droned on as Sky ran her brush through her short hair. She found herself quietly singing the words, voice soft and delicate. After a few moments she flicked the switch to the device off and moved towards her bed. Back-first she landed on the stiff mattress and heaved a sigh. She couldn't wait to get out of the hospital - even though she had no idea where she would go after.

April had brought up an idea about she and Natasha staying in her apartment (which she rented from the money she got from working for one of the science professors at the Academy), but that would mean very tight living accommodations. But it wasn't as if Sky was not used to that fact - living in the same dormitory room with Natasha for four years influenced her ability to live in close quarters - it was simply the fact that it wouldn't feel like home.

The dorm was gone - as well as everything they owned - and Sky had been pitched back to the starting line. No home, no clothes - nothing.

Heaving another sigh, Sky turned her head to look out the window of her room. The sky was dark now, and the midnight lights of the city were starting to dim. It took one glance at the chronometer on the south wall to tell her it was two-thirty.

Making up her mind Sky grabbed the hoodie April gave her after extensive complaining of the cold temperatures in the hospital and quietly slipped into the hallway. She kept the small hand-held phaser in the front pocket at all times, if she was wearing it.

Sky started down the hall, towards the large recreational room. She couldn't sleep - and she wasn't about to call McCoy or Natasha (who was already staying at April's) from their homes just to give her a sedative. Also, Sky was slightly hungry, so she figured she could sneak something from one of the vending machines without either of her physicians knowing.

The large room was dimly-lit, but there was enough light from various display screens to allow Sky to maneuver towards the vending machines that were on the north wall. She typed in her hospital ID code into the touch-screen panel, expecting it to flash green with approval, but instead it flashed red.

_"__Access denied."_

Sky huffed impatiently. "Computer: who denied me access to this machine?"

_"__Nurse Natasha Adams, Starfleet, U.S.S. Enterprise under Captain James Kirk."_

Sky muttered a curse. "Even when you're not here, you bite me in the ass, Nat."

"It would only seem a logical thing to do, seeing as you obviously ignored her previous warnings."

Sky whirled around in a whiplash, drawing her phaser and pointing it towards the intruder. Spock arched an eyebrow at her action.

"Spock," Sky hissed, lowering the phaser and switching it back to stun. "I could've killed you! Give me a little warning next time!"

Spock's eyes seemed to glint with amusement despite the lack of light in the room, very similar to his elder counterpart. "It would seem you were not expecting my appearance."

"Of course not - it's two in the morning!" she whisper-yelled, her expression morphing into one of annoyance. "What are you doing up, anyway? You're not even supposed to leave your room."

Spock walked toward her, hands clasped behind his back and face impassive. "Vulcans do not require as much sleep as humans do - I was meditating when I heard you exiting your room."

Sky's brows furrowed and she leaned against the refusing machine, crossing her arms over her chest. "You could hear me leave my room? I'm a floor under you - and I think I was pretty silent."

"The Vulcan ear is much more sensitive to sound than a human's," responded Spock.

Sky's eyebrow did an up-down motion in acknowledgement. "Mm-hmm. You're supposed to be resting, anyway. And I don't think meditating counts."

Spock nodded to her once. "For humans, it would not be. Their emotions are erotic and difficult to control properly; Vulcan emotions are easier to compartmentalize and lock away - therefore, we meditate instead of sleep."

"That doesn't sound all too interesting." Sky moved away from him towards a small table, pulling the chair back so she could sit down and cross her forearms on the smooth surface. "'Course I'm human, too, so it would seem that way."

Spock followed her and seated himself across from her, propping his elbows on the table and interlacing his fingers. "You may be human, but you are not as…chaotic as some."

It took a moment for Sky to realize that he had complimented her. A light blush settled across her cheeks and she drew her gaze away from him. Then something caught the corner of her eye.

Standing, Sky walked silently over to a table on the far end of the room and picked up the object of her attention; bringing it over to Spock his brow arched again.

"Do you play?" Sky inquired, placing the three-dimensional chess set between them.

"Affirmative." Spock watched as Sky began to place the different pieces in the appropriate places. "I assume you know the game as well?"

Sky smiled softly, reminiscing as she held the white queen in her delicate fingers. "Yeah. My grandfather taught me when I was seven - I never beat him once until I was twelve."

Spock hummed slightly in response and observed the board; Sky looked at him from across the table.

"Higher-ups go first."

Spock's eyebrow twitched slightly but he moved a pawn forward one pace. Sky smirked and placed her knight one level up; this time Spock's eyebrow was allowed to arch upward.

"Fascinating," he said quietly, mostly to himself.

Sky's lips quirked upward in a smirk. "Surprised, Mr. Spock?"

"A most illogical move," Spock observed as he placed a bishop onto another level.

"Illogical, but effective," Sky responded, sliding a pawn forward two spaces. Spock countered with moving his knight towards the exposed pawn.

"Wrong move," Sky said, smirk splitting into a mischievous smile. She took his knight with her own.

"Your approach to chess is highly illogical, but effective."

"Why, thank you, Mr. Spock," Sky genuinely smiled this time, icy-blue eyes brightening.

The corners of his eyes crinkled ever-so-slightly with an unshed smile; but where his face didn't show his smile, his warm, chocolate brown eyes did. Spock's response surprised Sky, to say the least. It made her stomach do a back-flip inside her abdomen and her heart flutter.

They played three games, which, overall, lasted about an hour and a half. Spock won two out of three, but Sky had him in Checkmate the final round he had felt surprise. It must've shown on his face because she smiled shyly at him, the lightest blush dusting her cheeks.

"Checkmate?" The statement wound up sounding like a question as it left her lips.

Spock observed the board again, eyebrow twitching. "Affirmative."

"Want to go another round?"

Spock's eyes were drawn back to the human woman, and he felt a slight sense of scolding when he saw her weary demeanor. Her eyes were half-lidded and a tired, innocent smile held her lips upward. Her forearms were the only things holding her upright, if her slumped stature could be accounted as acceptable. Spock knew from his various encounters with her that she wouldn't willingly go back to her quarters, so he devised a plan inside his mind to alleviate the problem.

"If that is what you wish," he responded, resetting the board and allowing her to have the first move. They traded moves for about five minutes and Spock moved his rook three spaces forward.

When he looked back up at Sky, however, he felt his unease diminish. Sky had rested her forehead on her arms, and seemingly unintentionally fallen asleep. Spock stood quietly and moved around the table. He watched her analytically, and, after a few moments, finally decided she would not wake if he jostled her.

He managed to pick her up in his arms, one arm under the bends of her knees and the other around the middle of her back, and he paused when she let out a small sound in her throat that was similar to a whine. When she quieted again soon after, Spock walked down the hall towards her room and managed to open her door without another sound from the human woman.

Her room was dark, but Spock's eyes adapted better and he carried her to the hospital bed. When he moved to place her on the bed, however, she whined again and he realized she had clutched his shirt with one hand and had wrapped the other around his neck.

The male half-Vulcan resisted the urge to sigh.

He laid her on the bed and, with his free hand, unraveled her fingers to release his shirt and unwrapped her arm around his neck. Now free, he tucked the sheets around her, ensuring she would not become cold during the night.

He rested his fingertips on her forehead for a moment before turning and walking silently out of the room back to his quarters.

Later on, he would look back to that night and wonder why he had performed such an action.


End file.
